Love Letters
by KikiKitsune
Summary: Roxas has issues. His mother died, his friends replaced him, and his brother's homophobic. On top of all that, his penpal seems to be taking a lot more of an interest in Roxas than he'd like him to. AU High School AkuRoku. Incomplete/Discontinued Forever
1. Prologue

**Kiki: **OMG! I'm posting a new story? And it's a Kingdom Hearts one?! Leh gasp! Yes, I've become one of those weird Kingdom Hearts fanatics, but I still do love Naruto. (smile) I'm hoping that this one won't be so bad. Well, not so bad to me, since I seem to criticize my work more than anyone else. (laugh) I'm posting the prologue and seeing how it goes, neh? Please read, review, and tell me if I should continue or not. I also apologize for being so… _bleh _the last time I updated here to those who read my other Naruto fan fictions. Well, I hope you guys like it! (claps hands together and prays.)

**Beta-chan: **Hi, so like if any of you guys see an error, just PM me the chapter, the line, the correct spelling. Now, I know, what kind of Beta am I, well I'm a French one! So I won't usually see grammar errors. So just go bother me, k? (username: knd44)

_Disclaimer:_ I no own teh KH awesomeness.  
_Warnings:_ Shounen-ai/yaoi (whatever you guys wanna call it. I don't care), bad language, probably typos, spelling and grammar issues, etc.  
_Pairings: _Both straight and 'bent'. (laugh) I won't let the pairings out yet. They'll probably be a lot of weird ones though.

The first chapter is in Roxas's POV. It's a bit angst-y, but I promise it won't be in later chapters (that is, if you guys want me to continue?).

---

**Love Letters****  
**by KikiKitsune

'_The Prologue'_

---

When you think of opposites, what comes to mind?  
Do you think of day and night? Black and white?  
The two seem so **f a r a p a r t**.  
But I remember that my mother once told me this;  
"In **darkness**, there is _light_,  
And in _light_, there is **darkness**."  
I never quite understood what she meant.  
Two things so different, could _never_ go **together**,  
Just like the pieces of a puzzle.  
But growing up, I've learned that I was **Wrong**.  
You need a bit of **both** to truly be Whole.  
Without the other, a person is never entirely Full.  
I had never thought how true it could be.  
I never realized how _Incomplete_ I was.  
And so…I became Lonely…  
With a puzzle, you need two _different_ pieces.  
One has a space, and the other fills it.  
And I've come to believe that there is only **one** other piece  
That can fill the space in my _heart_.

I just don't know who it is yet…

---

It was in the midst of summer, and the children were playing and enjoying their sweet summer vacation. If they hadn't taken in the time now, lectures and schoolbooks would come all too soon. It being the last few weeks of their joyous time, the children crammed in as much fun as they could. They'd especially have fun today because it was a perfect day. The weather was bright and sunny, and the sky was a warm colored blue, cloudless and endlessly free.

So why was Roxas Hikari locked up in the cold darkness of this bedroom?

The curtains blocked out the light, and no one took the time to turn on a lamp. But Roxas didn't seem to care. He was curled up into a ball on his bed. A thin blanket was wrapped around his tiny figure. Wetness seeped into the sheets as they slowly dripped from his teary blue eyes.

Roxas was _crying_.

A lot of things are hard to deal with alone, but Roxas knew that if he let anyone else in, it'd be even harder. This way, he could just lie there and let the tears run as freely as they pleased. He didn't have the need to hold them back here. No one was watching, and no one knew.

Today was supposed to be a perfect day, and it was, but only for everyone else. Because on this very same day, Roxas found out something he wished he hadn't. And he knew tears wouldn't fix things. Yes, he knew, but the tears refused to be repressed.

The quiet of the house didn't help much either. Roxas knew that a house isn't actually a home. It may have things inside, but it doesn't have the things a home has. Home is where Roxas's friends are. And home was where his family was. So, without a family, could it still be called a home?

Roxas and his family lived in Twilight Town, a large beautiful city. They weren't really a family, since it consisted of only two—Roxas and his mother. Nevertheless, they were happy. They loved their town and the people in them. Roxas never asked for anything more. He liked it there. He loved his home. It was the light of this life.

But then there was that accident…So now, without his light, Roxas was left alone in the dark.

His mother, his only family, had died in a car accident. Roxas heard that a lot of people died that way. There are people who worked late and hard into the night, and then have to drive home. And in the same lateness of those nights, there are idiots who go get drunk, drive, and then crash into other people. Yeah, Roxas heard stuff like the always happening. But it wasn't the same when someone you care about is involved. When a person you love is hurt or gone, that's when you realize that you're weaker than you used to believe.

And Roxas found out that he was weak—_really_ weak. After summer vacation, he'd start high school. He was supposed to be a strong, mature teenager. Yet, here he was, crying his eyes out like a helpless child in cold dark silence.

Roxas needed a light. He wanted to feel the warmth again. If only there was someone to give it to him…

---

**Kiki: **Oooh, wasn't that angst-y? Well, at least that's over. Now you know about Roxas's situation, and I won't extend on it. (laugh) If I did, I'll probably make it so complicated even I wouldn't understand it! Well, I'm not sure what pairings I'll have in the end, but I have an idea who I'll put in until then. Feel free to suggest any that you want or like. I'm not doing _only_ Roxas either. Of course there are always the side pairings. Well, (bow) I hope you all will support me! Please tell me what you honestly think of it.

**Beta-chan: **I'm really glad Kiki-chan re-started to write stories (hug) I'm so proud of you, Nee-chan.

**Kiki: **(hugs back) Thanks! I'm really happy about it too. (big smile)


	2. The Penpal Club

**Kiki: **Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed so far! I hope you like it. This is the first_ real_ chapter, so I'm a little nervous about it. I'm also looking for a beta reader. Anyone interested?

**Edit: **I found one. (big smile)

**Beta-chan:** Well, since I'm the beta reader, the job's taken. If you didn't read my note in the 1st chapter, then go read it.

_Disclaimer: _Kingdom Hearts and its characters do not belong to me.  
_Warnings:_ Shounen-ai/yaoi, bad language, typos, spelling and grammar issues, etc.  
_Pairings: _Yet to be known, but you can probably guess the main pairing. (laugh) But that doesn't mean they'll end together in the end… Or maybe they will. Who knows? It could be a crack pairing!

---

**Love Letters  
**by KikiKitsune

'_Chapter 1: The Penpal Club'_

---

Today was another bright, sunny summer day. The birds were happily chirping, and the laughter of children could be heard from the distance. This day was also the last day of summer vacation for the college students at Twilight University of Twilight Town, so everyone was trying to make the most of it. By tomorrow, they'd have to go back to heavy books and boring lectures. And so, everyone was out having fun.

Well, everyone but Akuseru Akamichi, more well known as Axel to his friends. Axel was the one and only student not having the time of his life. Instead, he stood alone in a quiet graveyard, staring at the engravings of the stones that lied before him. Brightly colored flowers were placed just under Axel's leather boots, adding a bit more charm to the gray, solemn place.

With a small, gentle smile, he said, "Hey Mom, Dad. It's me—your little Axel. I know I haven't visited as much as I should, but today's different, y'know? Today's the anniversary of the day you died after all." Axel tried to laugh, but failed miserably. A frown crossed his face. "I know that I'm supposed to be strong, and I know that I should've gotten used to it by now. I mean, you guys died when I was a kid, so I didn't really get to know you all that much, but…I can't help it." A summer breeze quickly flew by, blowing at Axel's fiery red hair. His emerald eyes glittered with a wet substance that was making its way to the corners of his eyes. "Mom, Dad…," he whispered softly, "…I miss you."

---

Summer vacation not only ended for all the students in Twilight Town, but it also ended for the teenagers that were attending (or going to attend) Destiny High School. The two were neighboring cities, one right beside the other. Though different, they shared much in business, communities, and everything else. Twilight Town plays a large part, but in the city of Destiny is where our story lies. In the middle of Paopu Lane, two figures were currently at battle.

"Sora, get back here you thieving moron!" A very angry blond called from across the street.

"If you want your skateboard back, Roxas, come get it," Sora, a spiky brown haired boy, called back with a wide grin.

Roxas sighed. "Okay, but when I catch you, I'm gonna pound you into the ground," he threatened. Sora's face showed signs of worry. Even though they were brothers, Roxas was still as scary as ever. But because they were brothers, that probably gave the blond more reason to pummel Sora. And so, the brown haired boy grabbed the skateboard and made a dash to his best friend's house.

---

Just down the street, Riku Kuronaka was sitting on his front porch, flipping through the most recent magazine of Dearly Beloved. In its few pages, Dearly Beloved covered all the latest fashions, music, accessories, and trends as well as featuring all the hottest clubs, models, and stars. And what's a teen magazine if there isn't a horoscope? Riku was reading just that.

'_Today, I should stay away from things that have wheels and avoid talking to brunets,' _Riku thought to himself. He didn't really believe in horoscopes, but they were always fun to read.

The teenager flipped a page and began to read a very "interesting" article about silky, shiny hair. He didn't get far before he was interrupted by the sound of loud taps on cement. He only had a second to glace before he was tackled to the thick, hard ground.

'_Maybe horoscopes _can _be right sometimes,' _Riku thought as he found that his head had bumped itself pretty damn hard onto the cement.

"Aw, man! I'm so sorry, Riku! Are you okay?"

Riku felt a bundle of weight lift off him. "It's okay, Sora," he replied, taking the hand that the smaller boy had offered him. Yes, Sora was definitely a brunet with those spikes that seemed to stick out in every direction. And not too far from the two friends was a silver, metal skateboard with…wheels. _'Yeah,' _Riku thought, _'This is weird.'_

"Sora, you're such a coward." Riku peered behind his brunet friend to find a blond with the same blue eyes as Sora's. "I just knew you'd run to _Riku_ for help," Roxas went on.

The boy turned to the blond and pouted. "I'm not a coward!" he argued. "I can do things myself! I don't need _Riku_…"

"Oh, thanks a lot, Sora," Riku said sarcastically.

The brunet made a worried face. "No! I-I didn't mean it like _that, _Riku! You're my best friend! I'm sorry. Please don't be mad."

A chuckle escaped Riku's lips as Sora began to find excuses to his misunderstood words. The older boy then decided to change the subject. "So," he smiled, "you two ready to play with the big boys? You're starting your first year of high school tomorrow."

"We're not worried," Sora answered almost immediately. His face was serious and full of confidence. He turned to Riku and shined off one of his infamous smiles. "We have _you _after all, so I know everything's gonna be okay."

Riku looked at Sora. "Yeah," he answered. "We have each other." And it was true. Sora and Riku had been best friends for as long as they could remember. They were each other's first friends, and they would forever continue to be the best of friends.

Roxas smiled at the two, envying them and thinking of how lucky they both were. It was nice having someone to lean on. He really wished he had one of those again…

---

After school in the middle of the school's backfield, a crowd of students were wandering about and signing up for clubs and other afterschool programs. One particular blond was having trouble choosing which sport to join.

"Football, soccer, track, baseball, tennis, volleyball…" he turned to the boy next to him. "What do you think, Wakka?"

"Man, I think you're gonna kill yourself if you try to join all those," he answered. "Just go out for the blitzball team like you always do, Tidus. You're best at that."

"Okay!" Tidus cheered, and he ran off to find the table where the blitzball signup sheet was. Wakka laughed and followed, planning to join as well.

A silver haired teenager had overheard this little conversation and couldn't help but laugh as well. This teenager with unique silver hair was none other than Riku Kuronaka himself. Tidus, a first year, and Wakka, a second year, were friends of Riku as well as Sora.

"Riku!"

The said boy was about to turn to see who had called him, but he didn't get the chance. A figure had hopped onto him and clung to his back. "Sora," Riku laughed, "What are you doing?" He turned just far enough to see his friend smile.

"Why, I missed you, my besterest friend ever in the whole entire universe!" Sora said in a single breath.

"You just saw me yesterday," the silver haired boy pointed out as he tried to hide a massive grin.

"I know." Gently, Sora climbed off Riku's back. "I've just been really excited about the first day, that's all."

"So, what clubs are you joining?"

"The track team!" Sora cheered.

"No way." The two turned and found a protesting Roxas. "Last time you joined the track team, you wouldn't stop complaining to me."

"So? Don't I have the right to complain to my own brother?" Sora pouted.

"No," Roxas quickly answered.

"What? Why not?"

"Don't you remember what happened last time? You complained to me every day for months, telling me how sick and tired you were of track and that your legs were always cramped, but you'd never quit no matter how much you hated it."

Sora blinked at him.

"We didn't even live in the same _city, _let alone go to the same _school _back then!" Roxas shouted, trying to get through his brother's thick head.

"You're just being lazy," Sora counter argued. Roxas sighed and shook his head out of frustration as Riku's attempt to repress a smile failed.

Just then, an idea floated into the silver haired boy's mind. "Oh! I just thought of something." The two brothers turned their attention to him. "I think I might have a club that you'd be interested in, Roxas. Last year I was in this penpal club where we write letters back and forth to someone in one of the neighboring cities. And then every Friday, we visit each other." Roxas and Sora continued to stare at him with a 'so what?' kind of face, though they did wonder why this was the first that they've heard of this so called penpal club. Riku sighed and decided to explain. "Well, I know how much you've missed Twilight Town, and it just so happens that it's one of the cities where we write to."

"That means you can visit Twilight Town, Roxas!" Sora smiled. "And since it's just another city away, I'm sure Mom and Dad will let you."

"Well, only if you join too," Roxas said, though not really meaning it. He'd join even if Sora refused to.

Sora stayed silent for a moment and decided to make a reasonable decision. _'Should I join?'_ his mind wandered. _'What's in it for _me _though?'_

"…Kairi said she's going to join it too," Riku suddenly brought up.

"Kairi?!" Sora stared wide-eyed at his friend. "Why didn't you tell me? To the penpal signup sheet!" And he dashed off, not realizing that he had no clue whatsoever as to where the destination was.

Roxas laughed and then turned to Riku. "Using dirty tricks now, Riku? I swear, sometimes you know my brother better than_ I_ do." The blond left Riku and ran off to find his brother. Sora would notice that he'd gotten himself lost in a couple of seconds or so.

The silver haired boy watched as the blond disappeared into the crowd. "Yeah…" Riku said softly so that no one else could hear him. "I know everything about Sora—who he likes and what he likes to do, his every move and his every thought. I just wish it was the other way around sometimes…" He then took a step forward, and continued toward the direction where the two had run off.

---

"No. Way."

"Aw, come on, Axy-poo," a dirty-blond teenager pleaded.

"Don't call me that, _Demy-poo,_" Axel replied, purposely reversing the name-calling.

"Please? It'd be really cool! And it's _free. _Pretty please? I don't wanna do this all alone." Demyx tried to widen his eyes as much as possible, giving off the 'cute, adorable puppy-dog look.'

Axel was immune to it though since Demyx had used that face so many times. He narrowed his eyes at his friend. "Why should I give up my Fridays to babysit some kid? It's just stupid, Demyx. We're _college_ students now. We have better, more constructive things to do."

Demyx merely blinked at his redheaded friend. He coughed and said, "Um…_This _is doing something more 'constructive,' Axel?" The college student was in a black t-shirt and wearing a pair of boxers, printed with tiny blue popsicles. His emerald eyes were staring at the small television in their apartment, and a game controller lied about in his hands.

For a moment, the redhead froze in place, then looked at himself and blinked. "Okay, fine. You win," Axel finally agreed. Demyx cheered and then ran to find his guitar. A new song driven by happiness was ready to be written.

---

"Riku, you brought in new members for this year?"

Sora and Roxas found themselves smiling at a group of girls after school the next day. One particular girl looked like she was around her mid-twenties. She had pretty green eyes and beautifully curled brown hair. She wore a pale pink dress with brown sandals and about a dozen bangles on her right arm. Her gentle smile had matched her soft, friendly voice. Roxas supposed this was the club adviser, but Sora thought else of. He _knew _this woman.

"Aerith?" the brunet blurted out. "_Cousin _Aerith? Is that _you?_"

"Hm?" Her smiling face turned into a look that showed confusion. After a moment of taking a good look at the boy, confusion turned into recognition. "Oh, Sora. That's right. I heard from your mother that you were coming here. I didn't think I'd see you so soon though."

"I didn't even know that you worked here."

Aerith let off a small laugh. "I just started last year," she explained.

Sora turned to the silver haired boy. "How come _you_ didn't tell me this, Riku? You were in this club last year too, weren't you?"

"I assumed you already knew," Riku answered in all honesty.

"Well, none of that matters now," Aerith said. "Let's get everyone acquainted, shall we?" The female brunette seated the three boys and then made everyone introduce themselves. They started off with a short girl that had green eyes and short, light brown hair that swayed outward. She wore a yellow overall dress and wooden sandals.

"My name is Selphie. I'm a first year and besides this club, I'm planning to join the jump-rope team! My favorite color is yellow, and I like blah blah blah blah blah." That's all Roxas heard before he zoned out. Selphie was nice and all, but damn, the girl could literally talk for _hours!_

After what seemed like forever, another girl came up. She had darker brown hair and strange eyes. One eye was green, and the other was blue. She was fairly pretty, and she looked nice. "Well, my name is Yuna. I'm a first year here, so I don't know that many people. I was hoping that this club could help me make new friends. Umm…I like to sing and dance. And…umm…that's about it, I guess." She smiled and then sat back down.

The girl that was sitting next to her hopped up. She had very bright blonde hair tied into a long ponytail and a few locks were done into thin braids. "Hiya! The name's Rikku!" Sora and Roxas turned to Riku and snickered at the similarities between the boy's and girl's names. The blonde continued. "I'm Yuna's cousin and a first year too. I like a lot of the things she likes, but I'm not as good at singing as she is." She let out a giggle, which Roxas found to be _very_ cute.

Rikku went on for a little while longer, talking about all the boys that she thought were so 'cute' or 'hot' at her new school. A dark silver haired girl was after the blonde. Her hair was done in a Mohawk and her eyes were a crimson red. She didn't talk much. All Roxas learned was that her name was Paine and that she was a second year.

Last was Kairi Pinaku, aka Sora's massive not-so-secret crush since grade school. Her hair was a silky, long auburn color, and her eyes were just as deep and blue as Roxas's and Sora's. She was pretty, and from what Sora had said about her, she was also very smart, popular, athletic, charming, and extremely kind. But Sora was the one saying this after all. You couldn't trust everything he said since he was obviously obsessive about the girl.

After Kairi, Riku and Sora introduced themselves to the girls. All the girls except Paine and Aerith were giggling and smiling at Riku's super sexiness and Sora's adorable cuteness. And then there was Roxas.

"My name is Roxas, and I'm a first year. I used to live in Twilight Town, but I moved here over the summer. I'm Sora's brother, but I'm not related to his cousin Aerith for those of you who didn't know. And…um, I like skateboarding."

"Oh, Roxas," Aerith said, a bit hesitant since she feared she might've interrupted him. Roxas didn't much care though. He was pretty much done anyways. "I've heard a lot about you from Sora's mother as well. I'm sorry to hear about the accident."

"It's okay," Roxas replied, trying hard to smile.

The brunette then decided that it was time to change to a different focus. If they had continued, unwanted questions might have been asked, and Aerith didn't want that now, even though Roxas wasn't technically her cousin. "Well, I guess we should pick our penpals now, hm?"

---

Riku opened the envelope that he'd randomly selected from the pile of penpal addresses. Everyone had to pick one without looking at who was inside so that no one would argue if they wanted the same one. Riku hoped that Roxas would be able to receive one that had a penpal that lived Twilight Town though. Otherwise, joining the club was nothing but a waste of time. As he read the transcript inside, a figure came up next to him. He didn't look up at first, thinking that it was only Sora or perhaps even Roxas. But then he realized that this was neither of the brothers.

"Hello, Riku," a smiling Kairi said.

"Um…Hey, Kairi," he replied. "What's up?"

"Nothing," she simply answered and continued to smile.

Riku rolled his eyes. _'Yeah, right. The hell do I believe that,' _his mind secretly said. "Oh, really, come on. Just tell me. I know something's up, so no use hiding it."

"Well," the girl said, "It's about Sora. Back there, he said Aerith is his cousin and that Roxas is his brother. But how come Roxas isn't Aerith's cousin too?"

"Oh, didn't you know?" Riku said, actually surprised that Sora hadn't taken time to ever tell the girl after all these years. "Roxas and Sora are only half brothers. They have the same father, but different mothers. Aerith is a relative from Sora's mother's side, so Roxas didn't know her."

"Oh, wow. Really?" Kairi said. This news was quite new to her. And just the same, she wondered why Sora had never told her. True, the boy and Riku had been friends far long before he ever met Kairi, but they had still been friends back then. They were closer than most boy and girl friends were. A small pinch of sadness filled Kairi's heart.

Riku, being the smart one that he was, noticed this. "Don't worry, Kairi. He didn't tell me at first either. I kind of found out by accident." The auburn haired girl looked up at his aquamarine eyes and smiled. She knew she shouldn't worry. It wasn't something a person wanted to announce to the world anyways. So what if Sora and Roxas were just half brothers? Kairi shouldn't care all so much about the details. Yeah, she shouldn't worry.

But even though know she knew she shouldn't, she still did. Sora _was_ the boy she liked after all.

---

In another part of the clubroom, Roxas was reading the transcript of his own penpal. It was printed with a few rules that were to be followed, and a signature was scribbled underneath. Under that, there were a few, short facts messily written about the blond's soon-to-be friend. He quietly read them to himself.

'_**Name: **__Axel Akamichi__**  
**__**Age: **__19__**  
**__**Gender: **__Male__**  
**__**School: **__Twilight University__**  
**__**Address: **__Room VIII of Oblivion Apartment, Twilight Town__**  
**__**Hobbies: **__video games, movies, sports'_

"Wow, interesting. I didn't know we could get college student penpals."

Roxas turned to find his brother reading over his shoulder. "Who'd you get?"

"Ah, nobody," Sora replied with a small smile. He hid his paper behind him. The blond arched a brow at him, suspicion at full throttle. Even though he was curious as to why his brother would hide something so uninteresting, he ignored it and turned back to the transcript. Aerith had told them to write their first letter and turn it in tomorrow after school. But Roxas didn't take much thought to it. He only wanted to see Twilight Town again after all. And so, he pulled out a piece of paper and began to write.

'_Dear Axel,_

_My name is Roxas Hikari. I'm a first year at Destiny High, and I like to skate. I have a brother named Sora. He can be a pain in the butt sometimes, but he's pretty okay most of the time. I live in Destiny, even though I used to live in Twilight Town until I moved this summer. I miss it a lot back there though. That's where all my friends are. I hope that we can be friends too._

_Sincerely,  
Roxas'_

---

**Kiki:** Yay! Please review and tell me what you think! Sorry it was so long. So yeah... Pairing is obvious, no? They'll probably change in the end or during the story, so yay for those who don't like the ones now. Hehehe... I have the urge to torture my favorite characters again.

**Beta-chan: **Wha? RokuRikku? T.T I'm glad, this ISN'T the real pairing xD


	3. Late Nights and Photographs

**Kiki: **Yay! It's growing. Lol. Thanks to all who've reviewed and to Skitts-san who helped me upload this! I'll do my best, so wish me luck. Oh, yes. I've found a beta. (smiles) It's knd44. Yay, thankies so much for being my beta-chan!

**Beta-chan: **You're welcome (insert same note as prologue) :P Too lazy to type it up again lol. Anyway, I'm supposed to do my homework right now...

_Disclaimer: _Kingdom Hearts and its characters do not belong to me.  
_Warnings:_ Shounen-ai/yaoi, bad language, typos, spelling and grammar issues, etc. (hopefully less errors now that I have a beta-chan!)  
_Pairings: _Now obviously AkuRoku (and other pairings). They might stay, or they might not. Let's just wait and see. (laugh)

**Kiki: **Oh, and just a small note, the first section is a small recap. Enjoy!

---

**Love Letters  
**by KikiKitsune

'_Chapter 2: Late Nights and Photographs' _

---

'_Dear Axel, _

_My name is Roxas Hikari. I'm a first year at Destiny High, and I like to skate. I have a brother named Sora. He can be a pain in the butt sometimes, but he's pretty okay most of the time. I live in Destiny, even though I used to live in Twilight Town until I moved this summer. I miss it a lot back there though. That's where all my friends are. I hope that we can be friends too. _

_Sincerely,  
Roxas' _

---

"You're joking, right?" a fiery haired man said, narrowing his eyes.

"He sounds nice, Axel. What's wrong with that?" the dirty blond next to him asked.

"Nothing, Demyx," Axel replied. "I just can't believe an idiot like you got me to do this." He sighed and threw the letter behind him.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Demyx gave his friend a puzzled look. "Aren't you gonna write back?"

"I'll do it later," the redhead answered as he stood up. He turned and grabbed a long-sleeved black jacket off his messily made bed. "I'm going out for a bit. Don't wait up for me, kiddo."

Demyx watched as his friend shut the door behind him. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to drag Axel along with everything he did. Axel didn't have to do any of it, but the blond didn't want to do it alone either. It was all only because Demyx needed the penpal program to make himself look good. Community service and other crap like that always made it look as if he wasn't just another wannabe rock star that didn't care about the damn world and everyone in it.

Nope, Demyx was just a plain wannabe rock star.

Demyx and his friends had started a band back in high school. They were known (or rather, unknown) as 'Nobody's Heart.' Their goal was to make it big, but those were only the dreams of every other band in the world. There was a hell of a good chance that their music would only last for a while, and as it slowly died, they'd just give it up all together.

And that's exactly why they have school as a backup plan. Demyx's parents wanted him to be a _doctor._ He was pretty dumb when it came to common sense, but with books, he was the king.

Still, Demyx really wished he didn't have to lean on school. When he was seven, he got his very first guitar. Since then, all he wanted to do was stand on a stage with all the lights on him and his bandmates. Then they'd rock the night away with a loud, roaring crowd cheering them on. Demyx had heard about the excitement and the feeling famous rock stars got.

But hearing wasn't enough. Demyx wanted to know what that felt like too.

Almost nobody heard of them though, so they hadn't made it very far. For three years, they've gotten nearly nowhere. It was a wonder why they even tried anymore.

Demyx sighed and washed the thoughts from his mind. He wasn't going to just chuck three years down the drain now! Sure, their dreams hadn't gone as planned, but if Demyx didn't have faith in his band and their music, then he might as well just have gone ahead and become the doctor his parents always wanted him to be. Music wasn't just a way for him to make himself a star. It was his _passion_—his love.

With the doubts pushed a bit farther away for today, Demyx picked up a white enveloped and pulled out the letter that was inside. Hopefully, his penpal sounded just as nice as Axel's did.

---

Roxas shook his head. "It's only been three days into high school and already you've turned into a delinquent." The blond pretended to cry as he went on. "Oh Sora, I don't know what I'm going to do with you. The next thing you know, you'll probably be doing drugs and having sex with random women at street corners." The fake tears and sobbing continued.

"Shut up, Roxas. I didn't do anything," Sora said angrily as he picked up a basketball that was rolling on the ground and chucked it at his brother.

Roxas stopped his teasing and caught it. With a small jump, he shot it right into the net. Sora let it bounce before he caught it and made a shot himself. Unfortunately, the brunet missed. Though Roxas was a few months younger, he always seemed to have the upper hand on things, even with sports.

Sora turned and pouted at the smirking blond. True, rubbing in that he was better at basketball was fun for Roxas, but that wasn't really why he was smirking. Something had happened to poor little Sora today at school. Yes, something that Roxas could have fun with for a while until he found something else that interested him.

Sora's little accident happened afterschool in the clubroom. Their penpals had replied and they were writing back. Well, _most_ of them were.

Sora had kept who his penpal was a secret from everyone, even Riku. So if Sora wasn't going to tell him who it was, then Roxas had to find out on his own. And so, the great chase began. Roxas's curiosity got the best of him and he took his brother's letter then made a run for it.

They caused much chaos in the clubroom. Aerith kept pleading them to stop and Selphie wouldn't stop shrieking and screaming. And then Yuna got bumped by one of the brothers and messed up a pile of papers that Aerith was trying to organize. And even worse, Rikku kept cheering while Paine was threatening to beat the two up. The two brothers ignored them though as they continued to run around the room. And just as Kairi and Riku tried to help Yuna up, Roxas ran pass them. Sora was right behind, but tried to stop when he saw the three in front of him. Unfortunately, the brunet stepped on a deadly yellow no. 2 pencil and fell forward.

But just to his luck, someone had caught him. Well, sort of. He had actually tackled a person down with him. Sora turned bright red when he found that Kairi had been that someone. And just because life hated the brown haired boy, it made Sora accidently grope the girl's breasts.

Roxas let out a huge laugh. "I _still _can't believe you did that. Gosh, Sora, I had no idea you were such a pervert."

"It was a total accident!" Sora shouted, blushing wildly. "And it was _your _fault! If you hadn't taken my letter, none of that would've happened!"

"_My _fault? If you had just told me who it was in the first place, I wouldn't have to take it from you."

Sora disagreed. Roxas was just being nosy and it was completely his fault for being that way. That stupid brother of his made Kairi think that Sora was some kind of pervert! Not to mention she must've been pretty mad because she slapped him pretty damn hard. And it _still _hurt even after an hour had passed since the incident. This was definitely no way to a girl's heart. How was he supposed to get Kairi to be his girlfriend after all this?

Sora let out a deep, heavy sigh. Roxas stepped over to his brother and put a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, it's not that bad. Kairi's known you since grade school. Just because you grabbed her boobs doesn't mean anything. Sure, she'll probably stay away from you for a couple of months and think that you're weird and creepy, and it'll be awkward for her to be around you… But she'll get over it."

Sora narrowed his eyes at Roxas. As smart as the blond _seemed _to be, he was actually just as stupid as Sora was. And the brunet kept no secret to his thought. "You're stupid, Roxas. You're just really stupid," Sora said, dropping the basketball and letting it bounce away. Those were Sora's last words before he walked off their driveway and headed down the street towards Riku's house. Best friends were supposed to be more understanding than brothers, right? Yeah, maybe Riku could be a little more comforting.

Roxas watched his brother walk away. When he was out of sight, the blond shrugged and picked up the ball. He jumped, but just then, he remembered something. The ball hit the backboard and Roxas let it bounce away. _'Damn,' _he thought._ 'I was so busy laughing when Sora groped Kairi that I forgot to find out who Sora's penpal is!' _

---

It was late into the night when Axel finally returned home. He threw his jacket onto the couch as he walked towards the kitchen. There, he pulled out a carton of milk from the refrigerator and poured it into a glass. He took a sip and then took it over to the living room, leaving the carton on the table.

It wasn't long before he found that he had accidentally thrown his jacket on his roommate. Demyx was curled up and dead asleep on their living room couch. The younger teenager would've looked pretty cute if it wasn't for that disgusting stream of drool pouring out of his mouth.

Axel laughed to himself and then turned toward the small wooden coffee table next to the couch. Pieces of paper along with pens and pencils were scattered about the surface of it. Some had even fallen onto the floor. One particular sheet of white had Axel's name on it. Setting down his glass, Axel picked the note up, unfolded it, and read what was inside.

'_Hey Axel. I just wanted to say sorry. I know you didn't want to join that penpal program. I didn't mean to force you to. If you want to drop out, I understand. Maybe it's time I learn to do things on my own, huh? Well, whatever you want to do, I'll support you, buddy. Here's the letter if you change you mind though. Roxas really does seem like a nice kid. I think that if you tried, the two of you could really become good friends. Well, talk to you in the morning, roomy.' _

The redhead smiled. It was always like Demyx to be so considerate. He was so nice, even to strangers. Sometimes Axel wished he could be a little more like his friend. Maybe then, things wouldn't seem so bad all the time…

Axel put down the note and sat down next to his sleeping friend. Then he picked up a pen and began to write.

---

'_Roxas, _

_Sorry to hear that you had to leave all your friends. I've lived in Twilight Town for as long as I can remember, so I can't really relate much. Don't think too badly of it though. I've visited Destiny before. It's a great place, and I'm sure you'll make new friends. I'd like to make some myself. Demyx can be such an idiot sometimes, but you learn to love the guy. Oh, so you have a brother? I have an older brother too. He lives pretty far away though, so I don't see him much. And I think I knew a Sora once. Wouldn't it be funny if it was your brother? Let's talk some more on Friday and become good friends, okay? Can't wait until then.' _

It was signed simply _'Axel'_. Roxas folded the letter back up and picked up the envelope it came with. He stuffed it back inside just as a slip of paper fell out of it. Bending down, he picked it up and examined it. It was a picture of two older teenagers. One had dirty blond hair and blue eyes. His arm was hung around the other's shoulder. The second person had long spikes of red hair. A small, dark smear was under each of his green eyes. Both of them were smiling.

Roxas flipped the photograph over and read the note written in blue gel-pen ink. It read: _'Hey Roxas! I'm Demyx, aka Axel's roommate and best friend! This is what we look like. I'm the blond one. Now you'll know what we look like when we pick you up on Friday. It won't be hard to find us, don't you think? We're pretty hard to miss. Well, see you then.' _

The blond boy was a bit confused. Did he have two penpals now? Either way, the two seemed pretty nice. Maybe they were even nice enough to let Roxas visit his friends when he would visit there on Friday. It was only one more day away and Roxas was getting a bit impatient. He wanted to see his friends again. Closing his eyes, he fell onto his bed and tried imagining their faces when they saw him back in Twilight Town. Would they be surprised? And had they missed him as much as he missed them? It had been weeks since they last saw each other. Only phone calls and emails had kept them together, but that wasn't enough for Roxas. He wanted to be back home again.

Roxas got off his bed and hopped over to his desk. If he really wanted to see his friends again, he'd have to become good friends with Demyx and Axel. Being on their bad side wouldn't get him anywhere. He pulled out his old photo album and flipped through the pages looking for a place to put in the picture of his two new penpals. But Roxas found himself getting distracted and walking down Memory Lane.

The blond found photographs from years long passed. There was one of him and Sora when they were about six or seven. It was taken on one of his visits to Destiny to see his father and Sora. As the pages continued to turn, the people in the photographs aged. There were other pictures of him and Sora, and Riku even showed up a couple of times. And there were pictures of his best friends—Hanyer, Pence, and Olette. There were even pictures of other people he knew back in Twilight Town. And there were pictures of…

Roxas put the photo album down and took out a single photograph. He stared at it for a long time, admiring its beauty. Suddenly, he set it down and then began to dig underneath his bed. He pulled out a small brown box filled with random junk and began to dig through that as well. After a moment or so, he snatched up a small silver frame from the box. The blond picked up the photo and carefully placed it inside the frame. The room had become messier than it was five minutes ago. Photos and the junk from the box were scattered everywhere, but Roxas didn't take much to it. After putting the picture in place, he set the frame on the desk beside his bed. Roxas ignored the mess and didn't bother to clean it. He'd do that later. Right now, all he wanted to do was stare at that photograph.

And so, he lied down on his bed with the frame facing toward him, staring at it until he fell asleep. Roxas had nice dreams that night. But though they were such nice dreams, there was also this dreading pain that came with them. When Roxas woke the next morning, he found that his cheeks were stained with dried tears. He'd been crying. Then again, who wouldn't cry when they fell asleep to the smiling face of their dead mother?

---

**Kiki: **That's it until next time. In the next chapter, Axel and Roxas finally meet!

**Beta-chan: **Sora's groping Kairi's boobs! I realized that my fandom for KH is a little lower than before... NOOOO!!! I guess I'll have to play KH1 before I start forgetting Kingdom Hearts xD (still in Agrabah lol -.-')


	4. This Friday and the Next

**Kiki: **Um… No comment really…But can someone tell me, is there a difference between blond and blonde? Or brunet and brunette? Like, is one masculine and the other feminine or something?

**Beta-chan:** I know that in French, one should be masculine and the other feminine but I don't know in English. Oh Nee-chan, you can call me by my first name (hug). I don't mind. And saying knd44 is kinda weird xD.

**Kiki: **Really?! Good, because saying knd44 was weird for me too! Hehehe, we shall all call you Julie-chan now! And err…since my dictionary says that you can use either, I shall use either! Mwahahaha!

**Edit: **I've changed blond/e and brunet/te to make them masculine and feminine.

_Disclaimer: _Kingdom Hearts and its characters do not belong to me.  
_Warnings:_ Shounen-ai/yaoi, bad language, typos, spelling and grammar issues, etc. (but not so many errors now because of my beta-chan! Thanks Julie-chan!)  
_Pairings: _AkuRoku and others

---

**Love Letters**  
by KikiKitsune

'_Chapter 3: This Friday and the Next'_

---

Roxas clutched his stomach and swallowed. The day had finally come—Friday—when the students were to load onto the school buses and be taken to their penpals' cities. Yes, today was the day when Roxas could once say again, "I'm home." But as we all know, life hates Roxas. And so, his happiness was delayed.

The blond grumbled to himself as he stood next to his half-brother Sora in front of Destiny High School. They, along with half the members in the penpal club stood waiting for their bus to arrive, which seemed to be running half an hour late. The other bus had already long pass come and gone, taking away Riku along with Yuna, Paine, and Selphie to Traverse Town. Only the brothers, Kairi, and Rikku remained.

"Wow, I wonder what's taking the bus so long," Rikku thought out loud. She stood about three yards from the brothers. As she lifted her head, her eyes winced at the glare from bright sun. It was a clear, blue day. Not a single fluff of cloud floated in the sky. Roxas saw her pull out a green and white encased cellphone before she said, "It's already 3:37! Aren't we supposed to meet our penpals at 4:00?"

"Don't worry, Rikku. It only takes about twenty-five minutes to drive to the next city from here. I'm sure they wouldn't mind waiting just a _few_ more minutes for us. And I bet they're just as nervous as we are, so a few extra minutes might be good for the all of us," Kairi assured her friend with a smile.

"Oh, you're nervous too, Kairi?" Rikku asked, looking surprised. "I thought you never get nervous. You're always so calm and collected, but I'm so worried that my penpal won't like me…" Rikku continued to go on talking about her penpal, but Roxas didn't get the chance to listen because Sora interrupted with words of his own.

"Do you think Kairi's still mad at me?" Sora asked his brother, referring to the…_incident _the other day.

Roxas blinked uncaringly at his brother. "Why don't you ask her yourself?"

"What? Are you nuts?" the brunet pouted. "I can't do that! What if she still is mad and then slaps me again or something? She looks all nice and stuff, but she can hit really _hard_!"

The blond shook his head and then turned to his side where the two girls were chatting away. "So, tell us, Kairi. Are you still mad at Sora for grabbing your boobs?"

"HUH?!" Sora turned towards the girls as well. Kairi and Rikku had been standing right next to them, but of course like the oblivious one he was, Sora didn't think they could hear. The brunet flushed a bright red and would've tackled his brother if Kairi wasn't right there watching him.

The girls put their conversation on paused, letting Kairi gave her answer. With a smile, she said, "I was never mad in the first place, Sora." A shade of pink was placed clearly visible over her pale cheeks.

"R-really?" Sora asked a little surprised. He saw her smile and nod, which made him smile too, though he was just as pink.

By that time, a small yellow bus had finally arrived and parked right in front of the four teenagers. Within the next second, the doors burst open and a man appeared standing on the steps of the bus's entrance. He had short bleach blonde hair that stood up over his sunglasses and wore a stained shirt with baggy jeans and a large belt. "Hey, there kids!" he said, a toothpick between his teeth. "Sorry I'm late. Some little hooligan popped a hole in my back tire! Can you believe it? Yeah, me neither. Anyways, the name's Cid. I'll be taking you to Twilight High School in Twilight Town every other Friday. That's where I'm droppin' you off and pickin' you up. You and your penpals are responsible for whatever you do in those three hours. I just get you there at 4:00 and take you home at 7:00. If you're not back at the school by then, I'm leaving you. Got it?"

None of the four teenagers said anything. They were too busy staring at him. Not because he was scary or anything. It was because…well, who wouldn't? He just arrived, and already Cid was giving off the vibe that he was one of those weird, wild, scary bus drivers.

Receiving no answer, Cid continued. "…Okay. Well, let's get going, shall we?" He gave them one last grin and headed back into the bus. The four shortly followed him in.

Roxas clutched his stomach again. He didn't know why he was so nervous, or why Axel popped into his head either. As he took a seat next to his brother, he remembered Rikku's earlier worries. _'What if he doesn't like me?' _Roxas wondered. He decided that he didn't have much of a choice. If Axel didn't like him, there couldn't be anything done about it. But still…Roxas really hoped that his penpal _would_ like him.

And Roxas found himself wondering why he even cared about that at all either.

---

Rikku was a cute, blonde girl with eyes almost as green as Axel's. She had a wide smile across her tanned cheeks and an innocent aura flowing from her. Through their past few letters, her penpal learned that the fifteen year old girl had a cousin named Yuna, and that the two loved to sing. In turn, he had told her about his rockstar dreams and they came up with this crazy little idea that Rikku could sing the vocals for him and his band. He'd never heard her sing before, but he was pretty sure that she'd sound better than Marluxia and his whiny, shrilled voice.

"Oh, what if she doesn't like me?" Demyx cried, staring at the photograph that Rikku had sent him in one of their letters.

"Well, _I _don't like you," Axel laughed. The two were outside, standing next to the redhead's parked, shining, red car.

Demyx pouted. "I hope Roxas beats you up when he gets here. Maybe he can knock some nicer words into you."

"Ah, now you're just speaking of the impossible, Demyx," Axel said, continuing to amuse himself. It'd gotten pretty boring for the redhead, even though they'd been waiting for less than ten minutes there. Still, their penpals were late, and Axel wasn't always so patient.

Right now, the redhead was thinking about how he could be spending his time more "productively" by trying to find the last treasure box in the new RPG he bought last week. All he needed was to fight the last boss monster and beat the game. Then after he finished that, he'd celebrate by coming over to one of his friend's house (uninvited, of course), and they'd get drunk until they passed out and woke the next morning with headaches and morning noise screaming in their ears.

Yeah, Axel preferred to do that rather than wait around for some whiny teenager to show up. That's how much he really didn't want to be there. But…it was for Demyx, so Axel _tried _to find the silver lining to this dark cloud.

---

Around 4:16, the bus finally stopped, and the teenagers filed out. "Remember, be back at 7:00 sharp or I'm leaving you," Cid called out before he closed the door and drove off.

After stepping out, Roxas took a moment to look around. Twilight High School was just as large as Destiny High, and just as nice. He would've gone here if…things had gone a little differently.

Kairi was the first to find her penpal. She walked towards a skinny, dark-haired girl that wore white short shorts, a short black top, a tiny sleeveless jacket with a black hood, and a black and white patterned headband. Kairi waved goodbye to Rikku before she and the other girl walked away, smiling and giggling.

Roxas turned around, hoping to find his own penpal, but instead, was distracted by an unexpected call. It was Rikku's voice. At first, the blond thought he was hearing things, but then he heard the girl call again for a second time.

"Demyx!" she shouted loudly, running towards two figures that were standing next to a red car.

"Hey, isn't that Axel next to Rikku's penpal?" Sora asked, suddenly popping up behind his brother.

Roxas took a moment to wonder how or why Sora came out of nowhere, and then he turned to look again. There was one dirty blond figure and another redheaded one. He nodded slowly. "Yeah…I didn't know that she…"

"Hm? What's wrong, Roxas?" the brunet questioned, driven by a mix of curiosity and concern.

The other shook his head. "Nothing, I just didn't know Rikku's penpal was Demyx. He's Axel's roommate," Roxas explained.

"Oh, that means you and Rikku are gonna be spending _a lot _of time _together, _huh?" Sora teased, nudging his brother with an elbow.

"Shut up," Roxas replied, doubting that Rikku would even look at him in _that_ way, but his smile proved otherwise.

Roxas glanced back at Rikku, Axel and Demyx who were standing a good thirty or so feet away. He saw Axel ask her something, and Rikku pointed towards Roxas's direction. The redhead was probably asking which one of them was him since Roxas didn't get to send them a photograph of himself.

"Hey, Roxas! Over here!" Axel called, a simple welcoming smile in place. His voice was strong and loud, hinting a part of his wild personality. It didn't really matter though since Roxas could already tell that he was the outgoing type, noticing the long, insanely spiked, fiery red hair. But despite that, Axel seemed really nice too.

The blond gave a small smile and waved to his new soon-to-be friend. Before going, he took another look around and then turned to Sora. "I don't see anyone else around. Are you gonna be okay waiting all alone?"

"Of course, I am. What are you? My mother?" Sora snorted playfully, pushing his brother forward.

Roxas smiled at the brunet and then continued to make his way towards the other three. They smiled at him, and he couldn't think of anything else to do but smile back. When he was within a few feet from them, Axel spoke again.

"So we finally meet, Roxas. It's nice to finally know what you look like," the redhead said. He flipped a lock of red hair over his shoulder and then sighed loudly. "I was pretty worried since I thought you might be some kind of nerd or something. It'd be awful if I had to spend my Fridays for a whole year with some _freak_."

Blue eyes widen in surprise. He took it all back now. Axel was _not _a nice person. What kind of greeting was _that? _Just their first meeting and already he was being an asshole. Or was this his way of joking around? Because, honestly, it wasn't all that funny. At least, not to Roxas.

Demyx glared at his friend and then smacked him on the backside of his head. "Axel, you jerk! This is Roxas's first visit and already you're trying to make him hate you? You know how many people already want to kill you?"

"Let's see." Axel turned his head up towards the sky and began to count with his fingers. "There's Saïx, Marluxia, Larxene, Xemnas, Vexen…"

"Don't count!" the dirty blond demanded. "There are more people than you have fingers _and _toes." Axel laughed at this, but Demyx remained serious. He turned to Roxas and apologized. "Don't worry, he's always seems like a jerk when you first meet him, but he'll soften up to you once you get to know him." He smiled and then turned away to open the car door for Rikku. She climbed in and Demyx slid in after her. Axel walked around to the driver's seat, which left Roxas the front seat next to him.

Roxas was right about Demyx; he was definitely a nice guy. But how could he be so wrong about Axel—his very own penpal? And the teenager had hoped that Axel would let the blond visit his friends, if only for a while. But now finding out what kind of person Axel _really _was, Roxas's hopes sank lower than ever.

With a frown, Roxas opened the car door and took the seat next to Axel.

So much for his plans…

---

Sora watched as the shining red car drove off, his brother inside. Only a second later did he hear steps behind him. He suddenly turned around, fright tinted lightly within him. But after he saw who it was, he sighed with relief.

"Gosh," he laughed, "you scared me there for a minute."

The figure giggled. "I scared you now, did I? Who did you think I was?"

The brunet smiled and shook his head. "No one, I just wasn't expecting you to come yet, that's all. You did say you were going to be a little late."

"Well, I'm here now," the soft, calm, gentle voice said. "This is our first day meeting _here_. What would you like to do, Sora?"

He tapped a finger on his chin, pondering for a moment. "Hmm… Well, how about you show me some of your drawings? You were so shy about showing them last time we met, Naminé."

"Alright, but then you have to draw me something too," she smiled as she giggled once more. Naminé was a girl with eyes just as deep and blue as Sora's, and hair as silky and glowing as the sun. She wore a pure white dress and sandals with little, yellow studded stars. Her skin was pale and fair, and she was one of the prettiest girls Sora had ever met.

Maybe even prettier than Kairi…?

---

Demyx and Rikku were chatting in the back seat, acting as if they had already been best friends, while Axel and Roxas sat in the front as silent as deer.

"Hey, Axel," the dirty blond said after a few minutes in the car. "Can you drop us off at Zexion's house? I want Rikku to meet the band."

"Okay, but then I'm gonna eat all your ice cream since I'm doing such a _nice _favor for you," Axel smirked.

"Fine, fine. Do whatever," Demyx grumbled.

They stopped within a few minutes. Demyx and Rikku were about to hop out when—

"Hey, hold on you two," Axel said turning around to peer in the backseat. "Rikku, do you have a cellphone?" She smiled, pulling out her tiny green and white flipphone. "Okay, give me your number and call me when you two want me to pick you up," the redhead said, pulling out his own red and black phone. They exchanged numbers, and then Demyx did the same with her. When they were done, the two jumped out of the car and ran to attack Zexion's ill-fated doorbell.

Axel shook his head as if he was ashamed. "They're nuts," he said, but a smile was clearly shown on his face. He turned to the seat next to him. "Roxas, do you have a cellphone?"

"Uh, yeah," the blond said, pulling out a shiny black, blue, and white cellphone from his jacket pocket. They did the same as Rikku and Demyx had before. Axel didn't look (nor did he act) like it, but he was pretty responsible when he had to be. This was supposed to be a way for them to contact in case of an emergency. And Roxas was pretty sure _some _kind of emergency would occur so long as he was with _Axel._

After pressing in the last numbers, Axel stuffed his cellphone back into his pocket and turned the engine back on. "Okay," he said, "so where to?"

Roxas turned to him with a surprised, puzzled look. "Huh?"

Axel answered with the same look of confusion. "You said that you used to live here, right? And that you missed your friends. Don't you want to go see them?"

"Um…y…yeah," the blond replied. Roxas had thought that getting Axel to let him visit his friends was going to be a difficult thing, but this was way too easy to believe.

"So where to then?"

"Uh…Do you know where Moogle Street is?"

"Who doesn't?" Axel laughed and drove off.

---

Roxas ran down an empty street where Axel dropped him off on his own. At the end where this street and the next crossed at a dead-end was the place where he and his three best friends—Hayner, Pence, and Olette—claimed their own personal hangout. When it was in sight, a wide toothy grin crossed his face and his heart began to race. Home was only a few steps away, and he couldn't wait to finally get back to it. He slowed down in front of the entrance, and stepped inside.

But he wasn't expecting to find _this _in there.

His blue eyes widened with surprise and confusion. Inside, he saw a boy with sandy-blond hair—Hayner, another plump boy—Pence, a sweet-looking girl—Olette…

And…_another _boy? In _Roxas's _seat?!

And this wasn't _just _any other boy. Nope, he was Seifer. Yeah, Seifer—the guy that Hayner said he hated so much, and the same one that Olette called the biggest jerk in all the worlds, and the guy that Pence thought was so stupid, he couldn't find his way out of a paper bag. Yes, he was _that _Seifer, and he was sitting in _Roxas's _seat that no one else but Roxas himself was allowed to even _touch_.

"Roxas?" Olette stood and continued to stare at the blond as did everyone else. "What are you doing here? I thought you moved to Destiny!"

It took the blond a while to process his thoughts passed the voice in his head that was screaming _'WHAT THE HELL IS SEIFER DOING IN _MY _SEAT?!' _After a few silent minutes later, he decided to answer the girl's question. "I…I joined this club where you can visit other cities and stuff… I was…gonna surprise you guys…"

Hayner laughed and jumped off his own spot. "Well, we're definitely surprised."

"You should've told us you were coming. We would've thrown you a welcoming party or something," Pence added with a smile. Roxas didn't say anything to that. He just stood there and forced on a smile. His jawbones hurt from trying to lift his cheeks when they hadn't wanted to, so he just let them fall once more. His thoughts were too much to handle on their own right now anyways.

Why hadn't he known about this? Over their phone calls and emails, they had never even _mention _a word about Seifer. So what was he doing here with them? Were they trying to protect his feelings? Did they not tell him because they didn't want him to know about this? Had they known that it'd hurt him so much to know that while he was away, his best friends—his only home left—had…had _replaced _him? And with Seifer nonetheless! He was the guy that they'd always hated. So, then, why? Why did they suddenly kick him out and make Seifer their new "best friend"?

At that moment, when all the pieces came together, Roxas realized that his friends hadn't missed him as much as he thought they did. The evidence clearly showed. And Roxas felt stupid for not noticing it earlier. The phone calls and emails had started to come later and later, and shorter and shorter too. He should've known all along, but it was just too hard to accept. Roxas had lost his home the night his mother died and his friends couldn't replace that, but he didn't want that to be true. He couldn't handle the truth, so he ignored all the obvious signs. Now look where it's gotten him…

"Um…I should…probably get back to…" Roxas forced the words out his throat. He could no longer feel his heart beat as his body began to numb from the shock.

"Yeah," Seifer said with a smirk, "don't want to keep you away from your little club now."

"Aw, do you really have to leave so soon?" Olette pleaded.

"What? But you just got here," Hayner added on.

Roxas forced another smile. "Sorry, maybe another time."

"Come visit soon, okay?" Pence said, waving his hand.

'_That's it?' _Roxas thought to himself. They were barely making an effort in asking him to stay. Did they really not care? It was as if they _wanted _him to leave.

The blond boy turned and walked out the entrance, shaking his head in disbelief. Behind him, he heard the familiar laughs he once used to share with them.

What he just saw must have been some kind of illusion, right? Sure, it's been over a month since he'd last seen them, but had they really replaced him so quickly? Hadn't they missed him even the slightest bit? Sure, they had said it, but had they ever really meant it?

His head hung low as he continued to step forward. He stopped just a few yards away from the entrance, feeling lost and confused. "I can't believe they replaced me," he said, voicing his thoughts. He could feel liquid wanting to release from his eyes, but repressed them.

"Are you okay?"

The teenager spun around, hearing a voice come out of nowhere. He hoped that it was Hayner, or maybe even Olette or Pence, coming out to explain some crazy reason why they'd invited Seifer into their hangout. He wished so badly that it was all a huge misunderstanding, and he wanted so much for his friends to say that they hadn't replaced him. He wanted to hear them say the words, "We missed you, Roxas. Nothing's been the same without you, and no one could ever replace you. We're so happy you're back!" But those were only wishes. What had wishing ever do? Roxas wished that his mother would come back, but that didn't happen and neither could this.

Roxas watched as a redheaded man strolled toward him, half of a smirk in place.

"Axel…" the name slipped from Roxas's thin, pink lips. "What are you doing here?" He paused a moment as the man halted in front of him. When he didn't reply, Roxas began to wonder. It didn't take a genius to know the answer, but the blonde decided to ask anyways. "Wait, did you—"

"Yeah, I heard," Axel answered the unfinished question. And just for a little while, Roxas stared at him and Axel stared back. Blue eyes swelled with tears that had yet to fall. He refused to release them, so his vision began to blur a bit. It wasn't like he cared if Axel saw him cry or anything. He didn't know the man much and he wouldn't go to see Axel next Friday or the Fridays after anyways. There was no point now. The reason he even considered joining the penpal club was to see his friends again, but they've already replaced him with someone else.

And even though he told himself that he didn't care if he cried, he'd already promised himself that he wouldn't. The day he moved to Destiny, he told himself that he had enough of it all. He wasn't going to sit in the dark and mope around crying anymore. It was tiring being sad all the time, and truthfully, Roxas didn't like it one bit. He didn't understand anyone that actually _would _like being so sad. And so, he just let the tears sit there and blur his vision.

Suddenly, Axel lifted his hand and reached toward the boy. At first, Roxas thought he was going to hit him and say something like, "Stop crying, you big baby!" so he shut his eyes closed, unintentionally letting the tears slip out and roll down his cheeks.

What he expected to be a smack to the head was something completely different, especially coming from Axel. The way he acted before, you'd think that was exactly what he'd do. But instead, Roxas felt a gentle hand petting his head like one would do to a frightened little puppy. He opened his eyes to find saddened emerald eyes staring back at him. Axel smiled and then ruffled the teary-eyed boy's golden locks.

"Want some ice cream?" the redhead asked.

At that comment, Roxas pushed the man's hand away and pouted. "Don't treat me like a kid, Axel," he answered, wiping away the tears. "I don't need _ice cream_ to make me feel better." And that was completely true. Roxas wasn't some helpless little boy on his own. And he wasn't the kind of person you could make stop crying just by buying him ice cream. Nope, he was too mature for that.

---

Axel smirked, licking a sky-blue colored popsicle of salty-sweet ice cream. He held a stick of it in each of his two hands. With the one that he wasn't licking, he waved it slowly in front of blue eyes that continued to follow it wherever the redhead took it. "Come on, Roxy. It's _delicious_. You know you want it," Axel said in a sing-song voice. He continued to try to persuade (or annoy) the blond by wiggling his eyebrows around.

Roxas glared at the redhead. He never allowed _anyone _except his mother to call him "Roxy." As Axel waved it back toward the blond, Roxas quickly snatched it out of the man's hand and stuck it in his mouth.

"Hey!" the redhead immediately protested, stopping all of his playful movements.

Roxas grasped the stick and pulled the popsicle out of his mouth. "What? Weren't you offering it to me?"

Axel paused to think, and then nodded. He went on sucking on his own ice cream as he watched Roxas do the same with his own. The two were sitting back in Axel's and Demyx's apartment. It was 5:21, and they had exactly one hour and 39 minutes until Cid would come pick Roxas and the other teenagers up. With so much time to burn, Axel decided to start a conversation.

"Hey," he said, "I don't usually butt into people's business but…mind telling me what happened back there with your friends?"

"Hm?" Roxas turned to him and pulled the stick out once more. "I thought you…uh…overheard."

"Well, kind of," Axel scratched his head. "It just sounded to me like your friends didn't miss you all too much and you sounded pretty sad, and…you _lied_." Axel narrowed his eyes at Roxas. "I told you that I'd let you stay there with your friends until the three hours were up, but you told them you had to leave. Why'd you do that for? Didn't you want to stay?"

Roxas shrugged, though he knew the answer all too well. "They don't need me. They probably didn't want me there either. Turns out they found a _replacement._" He turned his head to Axel, who seemed to be thinking (or at least trying to think). "Hey, wait! What were _you _doing there? I thought you drove off by then. Why'd you come back and follow me?"

"Huh? Oh!" Axel reached into the pocket of his black hooded sweater and pulled out something. He opened his hand for Roxas to see. It was a tiny silver heart attached with a beaded chain. "I found this in the front seat of my car. You must've dropped it when you pulled out your cellphone."

Roxas slowly picked it up and examined the item. "That's my mother's locket. I can't believe I forgot I had it with me…" He turned it around a couple of times in between his fingers, and then opened it. Inside, he found a picture of a little boy with golden locks and another boy that shared the same sky-blue eyes on the left side of the locket. It was him and Sora when they were younger. And on the right side was a picture of a woman and an older version of Roxas. The woman had the same shining hair as him, and the same jewel-like blue eyes. She looked like she was in her late 30's, but her wide smile was full of energy. Roxas ran a finger around the heart-shaped frame of the picture of the women and him. The woman was, of course, his mother.

But Axel didn't know this, so he stupidly asked, "That's your mommy?" Roxas turned to blink at him and then nodded. "She's pretty. It's surprising that she could be your mom, considering how you've turned out," Axel joked. Instead of getting angry like he normally would, Roxas just ignored the redhead's teasing ways. Axel continued to speak. "Hey, is that the brown-haired guy that was with you at the bus stop your brother Sora? He doesn't look much like your mom…"

"We don't have the same mother," Roxas answered in an instant. "Our father is with Sora's mother. The marriage was kind of rocky when they first got together. My father works around in the other cities too, so on one of his trips to Twilight Town, he had an affair with my mother. They were pretty good friends, so they thought it was okay and just kept it secret. But when my mother ran into Sora's and they started to become friends, she told our father that she wanted to stop with the affair. It was too late though because my mom was already pregnant with me. Our father offered help when he heard about it, but Mom never accepted help from _anyone, _not even me. She was always working late, and because of that…she's dead…"

Roxas lifted his head to find Axel staring at him, speechless. The blond hadn't realized until he'd finished that he'd told someone besides Sora the story of their parents. This was the first day that he'd met the man, and already he was sharing his personal life! What the hell was he _thinking? _He'd kept all this a secret for so long, and all because of one man, it all let loose?

"Uhh…" the blond opened his mouth, trying to find words—any words. He just needed words.

It just so happened, that Roxas didn't have to be the one to give them. Axel nodded, and said, "I know how you must feel then. Well, not the whole affairs thing and stuff, but… I don't have a mom anymore either, _or _a dad. They died in a fire when I was still in elementary school." Axel stuck his popsicle back into his mouth. It'd begun to melt and was getting his hand all sticky.

The teenager slowly stuck his own ice cream in his mouth. It, too, was starting to melt away, just like the feeling of lost Roxas had only five minutes ago.

Today, he found out that he no longer had a home. His friends weren't bad people and it wasn't their fault. Things just…_changed_. Roxas couldn't blame them. He had to expect them to do something while he was away. And there wasn't really a need to ignore them either. Maybe he could learn to be friends with Seifer too.

Funny, isn't it? Despite the first impression, Axel seemed pretty…nice; just like Roxas thought he was from before. Even so, Axel was a strange person. He could be rude, responsible, a jerk, mean, arrogant, and even caring. He was confusing, but he made Roxas feel comfortable enough to say things he hadn't to anyone else. On their first day, Roxas told this stranger something he'd always kept to himself, and in turn, Axel told him something one should keep just as secret. With Axel, it was as if Roxas could say _anything_.

This very same person made his feeling of lost vanish within five minutes. It was like they were already friends. And with friends, there was also a home.

…So maybe, just maybe, Roxas would come back next Friday too.

---

**Kiki: **omg D: Sorry it's so long and it took me _forever_ to update. Kyah, hope you guys liked it! Uh…I'm running out of ideas so feel free to give any suggestions! And yeah…not sure if I'm gonna make Sora…gay, lol. Was that a random thing to say?

**Beta-chan: **Now it's my turn to apologize -.-' Gomen nasai!! I kept forgetting to ask my dad to install some program (that would help me with beta-ing this story) 'cause we just got Windows Vista and we have so re-install EVERYTHING ;.; Quite annoying. Well see you next time!!

P.S. (shameless plug) Go read Kiki's other story "He Sees Only Me" if you like SasuNaru. It's great :)

**Preview: **Huh? What's that you say, Roxy? Riku and Sora are _what_? They're fighting? Well, that's not good. They're best friends! They shouldn't be fighting, especially over a girl. Huh? You're saying that you heard Riku tell Sora it's not about her? Then what's it about? Why are they fighting? And what do you mean by **R**iKU'S**G**_A_Y?! Well, see you Friday (wink). Let's have lots of…uh…"fun," okay? (giggles)

**Kiki: **Hehehe, obviously told by Axel. See you guys next time! …I think it's just gotten just _a little_ more crazy…


	5. Revelation of Two Hearts

**Kiki: **Thankies for all the lovely reviews! I hope the story got a little more interesting, though it's a little more confusing too. (laugh with self pity) I'm still open to any suggestions! And thank you to CrazyFFKHOttsel for helping me with my spelling! (smiles)

**Beta-chan: **Yay! Another chapter (smiles) Mmm... The more I think about it, the more I feel as if I'm not a beta-chan but a muse-chan. So I'm gonna be known as Muse-chan now :3

**Kiki: **(laughs) I'm still calling you Julie-chan though. Oh, and thankies for the title!

_Disclaimer: _Title by my "Muse-chan"! Wow, her titles are so much more creative than mine! And her vocabulary's bigger. (small tears) Isn't that sad for me? And Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me, nor do its characters.

_Warnings, Pairings: _Go to previous chapters if you really care to look.

---

**Love Letters  
**by KikiKitsune

'_Chapter 4: Revelation of Two Hearts'_

---

Riku Kuronaka—age sixteen and currently attending Destiny High School as a second year student—was about to die. Yes, his life was going to be taken away by two _very _pissed off brothers, and in his very own home too! Their blue eyes narrowed into glares that were directed towards a very unfortunate silver haired youth.

"Riiikuuu…" the blond one growled angrily.

His brother growled just the same. "You butthole! Why didn't you tell us that _before?_"

"C-calm down, Sora, Roxas!" Riku stuttered nervously, backing away from the two. As sweet-looking as they seemed to everyone else, when angry, the two brothers looked like a pair of rabid hungry wolves, ready to sink their teeth into a helpless, unsuspecting bunny rabbit.

"_Calm down?_" Sora puffed. "And how do you suppose we do that after we just found out that you _lied _to us?"

"I didn't lie. I seriously thought you guys knew," said the silver bunny. "Are you guys sure I didn't tell you that before?"

Roxas nodded. "You said, 'every Friday we visit each other.'"

"Yeah, well, there you go! I said that you visit _each other,_" the bunny explained. "I never said that we were the only one's visiting them."

Sora growled at his best friend once more. "Riku! You should've made yourself clearer! Now my penpal's gonna have to meet you guys." He sighed loudly and hung his head low. "It's gonna be so embarrassing having her meet _you weirdoes._"

"'Weirdoes'?"

"'Her'?"

Sora froze in place as two pairs of eyes settled on him. He hadn't realized that he let information about his secret penpal slip. He'd kept the name, gender, and everything else to himself for a whole week. And now…he just let something out. Questions were bound to be asked.

"Your penpal's a girl?" asked Riku. "Is that why you wouldn't tell us who it was?"

"What? Do you think we were gonna tell Kairi and she'd get mad at you or something?" Roxas added.

The brunet put on his infamous pout-face. "No," he answered in a low voice, "I just didn't want to tell you…"

"Well, why not?" Roxas leaped forward and wrung an arm around his brother, placing him in a deadly headlock of doom. "Don't tell me you didn't want anyone to know because you're cheating on Kairi with her! You already grabbed her boobs! You can't switch to another girl now."

"Argh!" Sora tugged on his brother's arm and began trying to pry it off. His face was flushed red and he was about to bite Roxas if he wouldn't let go. "You're being nosy again, Roxas! If I don't want to tell you something, then I—"

Before he could finish explaining his reasons, Sora found himself flat on his face. Roxas had apparently released his brother without warning to attend to the ringing in his pants. Yes, his pants ring. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cellphone. Taking a few steps away from Riku and Sora, he answered it with little concern about his fallen brother.

Riku helped Sora up and then checked his friend's face. "Are you okay? That looked like it hurt."

Sora sniffed. "It did." He glanced over towards his brother and ignored the throbbing pain his face suffered. "Who's Roxas talking to?" Riku merely shrugged. "Hey, you think it might be his girlfriend?"

"He has one?" asked Riku with a bit of surprise. If Roxas _or _Sora ever got a girlfriend, he'd definitely have known by now.

The brunet was the one to shrug this time. "I think Roxas likes Rikku." The silver-haired boy winced at the name. He _hated _having a name that could be either a boy's or girl's. Just one "k" off and it'd be, "Roxas likes Riku." The named boy shivered at such a thought. It was weird, not to mention _creepy._

But, then again…If it was someone else, possibly a someone that Riku _liked_, he wouldn't mind it so much.

Yeah, he definitely wouldn't mind…

---

Roxas stared at the screen on his cellphone. His eyes never left it as he walked a good distance away from his brother and Riku. After making sure the two couldn't get the chance to overhear, he clicked the "accept" button and placed the tiny mobile phone to his ear.

A bit nervous, the blonde managed to say, "Hey, Axel. What's up?" He wasn't expecting a call from his penpal only a day after they'd met.

"Hey, Roxy," Axel cheered happily. "Sorry to call like this. I'm sure you didn't want a call from me to ruin your Saturday."

"No, it's okay. I don't mind," Roxas insisted.

The blond heard a short laugh from the other line. "Well, anyways, wanna guess why I called?" There was a short pause where Axel had expected Roxas to answer. Realizing the boy hadn't taken the hint, Axel went on. "You left that locket here. Seriously, it was your mom's. Isn't it supposed to be important? Geez! And you lost it, not once, but _twice._" Axel laughed again.

"Oh, sorry. I'll remember it next time I visit you," Roxas promised. He tried to keep his voice calm, although, he didn't know why he needed to in the first place. Why was he so nervous? It was just Axel after all. Sure, they didn't know each other much so it was kind of awkward, but it was still only Axel.

"No need," the man said. "I'll just bring it to you this coming Friday. Can you believe it? I thought you were the only one coming here. Turns out Demyx 'accidentally' forgot to tell me that I had to go over there too. _And _I have to find my own ride. I guess he didn't tell me because he knew I wouldn't join if I found out. He's such an ass, making me drive myself _and him _all the way over to Destiny."

This made Roxas laugh. "I know how you feel, but geez, you're so damn _lazy, _Axel."

"I'm not lazy," the redhead argued. "I'm just…" His voice trailed off as he tried to search for words. Unfortunately, he couldn't find any because, well, it was the truth. "Okay, yeah, I'm lazy. Got a problem with it, kiddo?"

"No," Roxas smiled.

"Good. So I'll bring you the locket on Friday," Axel said. "Oh, and don't forget to write. It's your turn to send a letter."

"Alright," he agreed.

"Bye bye, Roxy."

There was a pause where Roxas was supposed to say his goodbyes. But for some reason, he couldn't. He didn't know why, but…he didn't _want _to hang up. He just wanted to talk to Axel a little longer, if only for a minute or two.

Even so, his voice betrayed him. "Bye, Axel," he finally said. Right after, Axel hung up and Roxas followed suit. The tiny blue, black, and white cellphone was stuffed back into his pants' pocket, and he was about to turn back around to meet Sora and Riku when—

Roxas found the two said people to be close behind. So close, in fact, that it scared the shit out of him. They were right behind him, _right up in his face_.

"What are you _doing?_" Roxas exclaimed, pushing their faces away with a hand for each.

Sora tugged the hand away and asked, "What were you and Axel talking about?"

So much for trying to keep them from overhearing…

"Nothing," the blond answered. "I just forgot something at Axel's place. He said he'd bring it back for me on Friday." And they left it at that because right then, there was a ring at door. Thing is, even though it was Riku's house they were in, the person at the door was looking for someone else—Sora.

---

'_Dear Axel,_

_How are you? Have you and Demyx been getting along well? I hope you're not picking on him like you always do. Well, I want to talk to someone, but I'm not sure who. I don't think I can go to my friends. You know what happened. And I don't really have anyone else here but Sora. But I can't go to him because he's what I want to talk about. Even though I haven't known you long, you're the only person that I could think of to tell this stuff to.'_

And so, Roxas continued to write. He flashed back to the day before and tried his best to remember the events.

---

Sora fiddled with his thumbs in his lap. He and another person were sitting down on Riku's front porch, just resting in silence. When this person was the subject in his mind or around his friends, millions of thoughts came rushing at the teenager. But when she was actually around him, he could never think of anything to say. It's supposed to be that way, some people say, because when you really like someone, you get so nervous that sometimes you even forget to breath.

Well, Sora remembered to breath; He'd just forgotten how to speak.

"Sora," she said softly to him. He turned to meet her gaze. Her eyes were a gentle blue, and her hair a silky auburn. "We've known each other for a long time, haven't we?" She put on a small smile, creating dimples in her pale, rosy cheeks.

Sora smiled back and nodded, even though his heart was wrenching. They weren't even going out but it sure as hell sounded like she was breaking up with him!

"Well, it's taken me a long time, but I think I've finally found the courage to tell you now." She took in a deep breath and then spoke loudly and clearly. "Sora… I like you. I like you _a lot. _I've always liked you, and I know that you like me too, right?"

The boy with cinnamon-brown locks stared with surprise at the girl beside him. He definitely wasn't expecting _that_ when he found her at Riku's door. Was he dreaming? Kairi had said she wanted to talk to him and then she confessed her love for him! Yes, Kairi—the girl that Sora had always been so obsessively in love with—told Sora that she liked him too. This should have been the happiest moment of Sora's life.

So then why did Kairi see such a sad face on this usually smiling boy?

Sora frowned and looked back down at his lap. He knew this day would come, but he didn't know it'd come so soon. Mustering up all the strength he had, Sora spoke. "Kairi, it's true that I've always liked you, and I still do. But…" He paused, trying to search for the right words to say, but nothing seemed to make it any less difficult for either or them. "Wow, this is hard…" Sora sighed and then turned to the girl once more. With saddened eyes, he continued. "Kairi, I care about you, and you'll always be one of my best friends, but… I'm sorry. We just _can't _be together." And with those last words, he jolted up and ran down the street towards his house.

All the while, Kairi had been staring down at her own lap. She heard Roxas violently swing the door open and run after his brother, footsteps loud and quick. He and Riku were obviously eavesdropping. She heard Roxas call the other's name until his voice faded and couldn't be heard any longer. As the noise halted, she felt a hand gently touch her shoulder. It was suppose to be a form of comfort from a friend, but comforted was the last thing Kairi felt.

For years, she was so sure that Sora loved her. They'd been together, side by side. She never doubted his feelings for her, and she always believed that one day, they'd be _more _than "just friends." She loved him and she thought he loved her too. So why'd this happen? After all the years of trying to build up the courage to tell him that she cared about him more than she did anyone else in all the worlds, he immediately turned her down. She didn't understand it at all. Hadn't Sora loved her all those years too? He did, didn't he? He said it, and she could feel it. So, why…?

"It's okay, Kairi," the person that touched her shoulder said. "It's not your fault. You didn't do anything wrong." The words didn't do much to make her feel any better, but she knew it was true. Even so, tears still came, streaming down her pale cheeks. She placed a hand over her mouth to try to muffle her crying, but that failed as her sobbing became louder.

Without any warning, she quickly spun around and lunged into the person's arms. "Riku…!" she cried. "Riku…he doesn't love me anymore, does he? Sora doesn't love me…Riku…Riku…" Her tears seeped into his shirt and she continued to cry. He was a little surprise at her sudden action, but didn't hesitate for another second in wrapping his arms around her. He hugged her like only a friend could do, because there was nothing he _could_ do to mend her broken heart.

---

From down the street, only a few houses away, the two brothers watched as Kairi and Riku continued to embrace each other. They along with Sora had always been best friends since they were small. Growing up, they seemed to find that things had changed. Some for the better, and others… not so well…

Roxas pulled his eyes away from the girl and boy and turned towards his brother. Because the brunet was facing the other way, Roxas couldn't see his face or find a hint of emotion. Even so, he was sure Sora was hurting right now. Something was wrong and that worried Roxas. This wasn't like Sora at all. The Sora he knew would have been dancing like an idiot if Kairi had told him that she loved him. The Sora he knew wouldn't be like…_this…_

He loved Kairi, so why?

As if reading his brother's thoughts, Sora spoke and unknowingly answered all his questions. "See?" he said, startling Roxas a bit. "I knew it. That's all the proof anyone needs." The blond was puzzled but kept quiet so that Sora could go on. "It's stupid that I didn't realize it sooner. It was obvious, wasn't it, Roxas? Did you notice it too? Because if you did, I wish you'd told me before it was too late…"

Hearing Sora trail off, Roxas finally spoke. "What are you talking about Sora? You're not making any sense."

Sora seemed to be ignoring his brother's questions as he continued to rant. "It took me nearly ten years to notice, but with some help, I finally figured it out."

"Sora," the blond stepped forward and gently grasped his brother's shoulder. "What's going on? What'd you figure out?"

The brunet turned around to face his brother. Roxas was taken aback when his eyes met with Sora's. Those normally bright, shining blue eyes, always shimmering with joy, were now sad and filled with wet, salty tears. Even as the tears threatened to fall, Sora put on a smile. His smile was something special, something no one else could imitate. And this smile…it wasn't suited for such sad eyes.

This wasn't the Sora he knew.

"Sora…" Roxas whispered, unknowing of what to do and afraid that if he did know, he'd find that he could do nothing at all.

"You know, you're right, Roxas," Sora sniffed, false smile still in place. "For all those times that you've called me stupid, you were right. After ten years, you'd think that I would've realized it by now. But I liked Kairi so much that it blinded me." Sora blinked a few too many times and made the tears fall. His fake smile was now gone. "Because of me, I hurt both of my best friends. I didn't know, Roxas. I was so stupid, and I should've known. I should've known all along that Riku liked Kairi too."

"_What?" _Roxas voiced his thoughts. "Riku likes _Kairi?_"

Sora ignored him and went on. "I should've known from the start, Roxas. I was selfish and I hate myself for that. I'm so sorry, Rox."

Looking at Sora about to cry was heartbreaking, knowing how happy and carefree he usually is. Roxas shook his head and leaned forward to pull his brother into a hug. He tried his best to speak comforting words, but he still felt so helpless. "It's okay, Sora. You can stop now. I get it. You broke your own heart because you wanted Riku and Kairi to be together, right? So it's okay. You were just trying to be a good friend."

"I tried, Roxas," Sora cried, pulling out of the hug. "I tried to be but I'm not…! I hurt people and I'm horrible for that. And…it hurts. It hurts me too…"

"Shut up already," Roxas ordered. "I said that you're a great person, didn't I? And I'm always right, right? So shut up and listen to me. It's okay. Riku and Kairi are your best friends. They'll forgive you for being the idiot you are." Roxas straightened and put on a smile. "So stop being such a baby, okay? What'll happen if Dad sees you crying?"

Sora looked up towards his brother. Stupid Roxas. He's acting all high and mighty just because he's good at a couple of things… The brunet quickly wiped the tears away and glared at Roxas. In a second or two, the brothers burst out in laughter. Sora could never seem to pull off a _real _glare.

"Come on, Sora," Roxas flashed off one last smile, and headed towards their front door.

Behind Roxas, Sora was smiling. He was still a little sad and a little hurt too, but it was okay. He trusted Roxas's words. Because even if his friends would hate him forever or if the whole world fell to pieces, Sora knew that his brother would always be there for him to help him through whatever. And because of this, he could smile, even if for just a little while.

---

'_So that's what happened. I want to help Sora, but I can't think of anything. What do you think I shou—_

_Sorry to cut off like that. Riku just came over. He left now. He and Sora had an argument, and I found out a couple of—'_

Roxas paused for a moment, trying to find the right word. He bit his bottom lip and then went on writing.

'—interesting_ things. He came to sort out the things from yesterday. You know, the Kairi and Sora thing I was writing before? Well, I think what just happened is pretty important to know, because apparently, there's another side to this twisted story. It's kind of hard to explain, but I think you'd understand if you heard what Riku and Sora were saying. I'll just try to write down what I remember, and hopefully you'll get what I mean.'_

The blond leaned back in his chair, away from his desk and his letter to Axel. It'd gotten to be a full page now. He'd need another sheet soon. This was the most he'd ever written to _anyone. _Hopefully Axel won't mind reading it…or think Roxas was some kind of weirdo with a freaked out family, and also for saying so many personal things. Then again, if this issue with Sora and his friends was still going on Friday, then Axel should be well informed or things could get awkward (not that it wasn't already).

With a sigh, Roxas tried to remember what had happened only minutes ago. It wasn't that hard though. Sora and Riku's conversation wasn't something one could just forget so easily…

---

Roxas was sitting at his desk, writing to Axel about Sora's situation yesterday. And while doing so, he tried to ignore the constant ringing of their doorbell. His father and Sora's mother weren't home at the moment, but Sora was. So why wasn't _he _getting the door? Sure, yesterday Sora turned down the girl he's loved all his life and he felt horrible for hurting his best friends, but didn't Sora understand that Roxas was trying to write a very important letter _about _that?

_Ding, dong. Ding, dong._

_Ding, dong. Ding, dong. DING, DONG._

_DING, DONG. DING, DONG. __**DING, DONG!**_

Apparently not.

"SORA! GET THE GODDAMN DOOR!" Roxas shouted in frustration. He turned back to his letter and tried not to snap his pencil in half.

"…"

"…"

"…"

_Ding, dong._

Roxas threw his pencil up in the air and let it drop to the floor. "Fine. _I'll _get the door." He pushed his seat back and got up, stomping towards his bedroom door. He violently swung it open and marched downstairs. Sora was nowhere in sight. Roxas narrowed his eyes and unlocked the door. He didn't have time to open it because it was thrust opened before he could even get a hand on the doorknob. He had just enough time to back away before the door slammed open wide and Riku stepped in, pissed as hell.

"Where's Sora?" he hissed angrily.

It took Roxas a while to answer. Riku looked so damn _scary. _He was really mad, probably because Sora dumped Kairi without giving a reason. But luckily for Roxas, he didn't have to say anything.

"Rox, are you okay? I heard--"

Both the blond and silver haired boy turned to find Sora standing at the top of the stair steps. After taking one look at the oh-so very pissed off Riku, the brunet's blue eyes widened with fright and he made a beeline straight back into his room.

"Sora, get back here!" Riku demanded, but Sora was already out of sight. The older teen headed upstairs after him, and Roxas couldn't process a thought quick enough to try to stop the older boy.

Too frightened to move, Roxas stood in place. Upstairs, he could hear them (mostly Riku) shouting.

"Sora, I think you owe me an explanation. Kairi too," he heard Riku say sternly.

There was a low mumble, probably Sora's. His voiced seemed frightened and quiet.

"Like hell I believe any of that bullshit!" Riku yelled. "Just the day before, you were head over heels for her. What made you change your mind in just one day? Did something happen, Sora?"

"No, no," Sora answered, a little louder this time. "Nothing happened. I just…don't like her anymore."

"I don't believe you."

"Well…why not? We're best friends—me and you, so why can't you believe me? Why are you siding with… with…"

"Kairi? Well, for one thing, she's the victim here. She thought you liked her, and when she finally got the courage to tell you that she liked you back, you dumped her _just like that!_ Did you know that you made her cry, Sora?"

"K-Kairi was crying?"

"Yeah, _you _made her cry, Sora. So are you gonna tell me why you did it now? In turn for making Kairi cry, I want to know the reason you did it—the _real _reason."

Here, there was silence. Sora was probably having a hard time dealing with it. He wanted to tell Riku. He really did, but the truth hurt the brunet too.

"I…I'm sorry," Roxas heard him say. "I'm sorry, but what I said is the truth. I just don't like her anymore. So please, leave me alone and go to Kairi…"

There was another short pause before Riku exploded. "Sora, could you just stop lying to me for _one _minute and tell me the damn truth? I _know _something happened and you're not telling me. You said it—we're supposed to be _best friends. _So why can't you trust me? Is it that hard? Is it really that hard to trust me, Sora?!"

"No, I trust you, Riku! I really do! It's just that—"

"That _what, _Sora? Just tell me what it is already!"

"…it's…it's because I… I know that you like Kairi!"

Roxas sighed. He finally said it.

"…_What?_"

"I've been stupid for not seeing it earlier, but I figured it out now. So maybe it's not too late, Riku. You and Kairi can finally be together. I won't get in your way anymore. I promise!"

"What the heck are you talking about Sora?"

"It's okay, Riku. You don't have to pretend anymore. I know that you like Kairi, and it's okay with me. I'll get over it, really! So you and Kairi should be together and I'll be happy for the both of you!"

"Sora, shut up. I don't like Kairi."

"Of course you do! It totally shows."

"Are you nuts? When did I ever show that?"

"Well, you're here aren't you? I made Kairi cry, so you got mad and came here to yell at me for it!"

"Yeah, but I didn't come here just because of that. I wanted to know what happened to _you._"

"_Nothing happened!_ How many times do I have to say it, Riku? I did it because I knew that you liked Kairi!"

"But I _don't._"

"Yes, you _do!_"

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you _DO! _Stop arguing with me!"

"I'm not arguing! I'm telling the truth! _I don't like Kairi!_"

"I said that you _do! _If I wasn't sure, then I wouldn't have dumped her like that!"

"But I don't like her! How can I like her when I already like someone else?"

"What do you mean you like someone else? Why wouldn't you like Kairi? Who could be better than Kairi?!" Sora was now yelling back just as loud as Riku, and he sounded just as angry.

"Well, the person I like is better than any girl. Even Kairi, so shut up!"

"Are you crazy, Riku? Kairi's the prettiest girl in school! Even the guys in the upper grades like her!"

"Just because _they _do, doesn't mean _I _do."

"You're so stupid, Riku! I gave up Kairi for you and now you can't even see how good she is? She's smart and she's pretty and she's nice and she's cool and she's funny and she's absolutely awesome! Who could be better than her, huh, Riku? Who the hell did you choose over Kairi? Because whoever it is, they can't be as great as she is! So who is it, Riku? Who stole your heart away?"

Roxas was expecting Riku to shout back at Sora, telling him to shut up. He expected more yelling, more arguing. He thought that they might've even gotten into a fistfight maybe. But when he heard no noise, the blond became worried. Why weren't they saying anything? Had they _killed_ each other or something?

Panic rising, Roxas ignored the former fear that kept his feet nailed to the floor and ran up the stairs and straight towards Sora's bedroom. Hopefully something strange had happened to make them both speechless. And then any second now, they'd both burst out laughing and sort things out. It was scary hearing them fight like that. It was the first time they had ever yelled each other _at all._

The blond reached Sora's bedroom door and grabbed the closed door's knob. He twisted it to the right and pushed open. Roxas was hopeful, but he wasn't expecting to find something good inside.

Yeah, and he definitively wasn't expecting _this._

The two were down on Sora's bed. His brother was on his back and under the silver-haired Riku. Pressing Sora hard down into the bed, Riku had his legs straddled around the boy's slender waist as their lips crushed against one another. Every few kisses or so, Roxas saw their lips part just a little bit, but the empty space was quickly filled with the licking of Riku's tongue, shoving its way into Sora's mouth.

Yeah, Roxas was surprised. Hell, he was utterly and completely _shocked—_so shocked that he couldn't even blink!

'_R-Riku's…?' _Roxas narrowed his eyes in terror and his right eye twitched a little bit.

After what seemed like forever, Riku pulled himself off the smaller boy and wiped away some saliva that was on his lips with the back of his hand. Sora was just as surprised as his brother. The older teen had his eyes narrowed and serious. Both he and Sora were breathing in and out heavily. But even so, Riku managed to speak through short breaths. "Get it now?" he asked Sora. And that's all he said before he turned and walked passed Roxas and out the door.

After the blond heard the front door slam shut, he turned towards his brother who was still lying motionlessly on the bed. "Uhh…Sora?" Roxas asked, poking his brother's arm hesitantly. "Are you okay?"

Obviously _not_. That was a **stupid** question, Roxas. Very stupid.

"…" Sora stayed quiet for a while and that wasn't much like him at all. He was usually always talking. He blinked a couple of times, trying to collect his thoughts and process them into something that made sense. But after Riku, his best friend who is also a guy, _kissed _him, Sora wasn't sure if anything made sense anymore. "Roxas…?" Sora finally said.

"Y-yeah?" he answered, a little jumpy.

Now it was Sora's turn ask a stupid question. "Is Riku _gay?_"

_Obviously_, Sora, and it's **you** that he's gay for.

---

'_And that's the last thing Sora said. I didn't know how to answer him, so I left him alone to think. I think that if I said anything else, he'd probably be even more confused. I'm confused myself. I seriously never even _thought _that could ever happen, especially to Riku! So…do you have any helpful advice, Axel?_

_Roxas'_

Axel finished reading the letter, and then he laughed. Placing the letter open next to him, he pulled out a pen and a sheet of paper and began his reply. Roxas sure did decide to write some pretty damn personal things. But it was interesting, weird and kind of random, but interesting nonetheless.

'_Dear Roxas,_

_Your brother's best friends are weird. Don't worry about it. It's not your problem. It's Sora's. As stupid as you may think he is, I'm sure he can be smart enough to handle his friends on his own. He's known them for, what? _Ten years? _He'll figure it out, so don't stress too much, okay? Well, Demyx is good. He's been texting Rikku instead of writing letters too her though. They're getting along a little too well. Heh, wouldn't it be funny if they were going out? And of course I've been good to Demyx. What kind of roommate do you think I am? I'm an angel, Roxy-poo, an _angel. _I'm also a wonderful listener. I love reading about your stories and problems. Tell me another? Not that I'm saying I want you to have any problems. :)_

_Love,_

_Axel_

_P.S. Sorry mine was so much shorter than yours. But I don't really have much to say, and I've never written three pages for anything but schoolwork._

_P.P.S. One last question—Do you have something against gay people?'_

---

**Kiki: **RikuxSora. (giggles) I promise they'll be some AkuRoku later! Really, I promise!

**Beta-chan: **You know what? Motionlessly isn't even a word xD (reference to Sora "lying motionlessly on the bed")

**Kiki: **Really? I honestly had no idea!

**Beta-chan: **Roxy-poo? x3 Anyway, guess what? It's my birthday in a few days I'm gonna turn 13! I feel so _old_. And you guys are gonna review, right? 'Cause if you do, there's some chocolate cake and a hug in it for ya!

**Kiki: **Eh? What chocolate cake? I don't remember promising that! (ate all of the cake anyways)

**Preview: **Huh? Demyx did _what _to it? Hey, hold on there! Who said you could sleep in _my _bed? What? No! I do _not _want to sleep with you. Well, no, I don't want you sleeping with my brother either. Who knows what a pervert like you would do? But…I…well… Okay, fine! You win. I'll… sleep with you. But you better not try anything funny, Axel!


	6. Kissing Roxas

**Kiki: **Yay! Thankies for all the reviews everyone! (big smile) I hope you guys keep supporting me! But I want you all to know, I like to read stories with my favorite pairings too, but I really hope you guys read it because of the story also, okay? Be honest with what you think about it please! And I'm super sorry that it's so late! I hope you guys are still out there and willing to read! I really had fun with this chapter and I want you guys enjoy it too. Oh, and my writing style has changed a bit. Sorry if my words sounded a little rude. I didn't mean them to come out that way.

**Muse-chan: **I did promise some cake to people who reviewed last chapter! So _Xita14_, _ZSAngel_, _Lamatikah_, _Rin_18_, _Dark Firesong_, _cherry_, _princessxhayleexxx_, _Ally Montgomery_, _Mylee_ and _Silva-trees. _You guys can all have a piece of cake (smile). For those people who read Author's Notes, I'm going on a trip for 3 week, so Kiki here will be posting the next chapter(s) unbetaed until I get back. Sorry for the inconvenience!

**Kiki: **Well, I'll be _trying _to post the next chapters. I have no one to bug me for being lazy now! (small tears) I miss her already… And I want some cake, lol.

_Disclaimer: _I don't own Kingdom Hearts or DDR. Yes, DDR's in this xD And part of the title isn't mine. I changed most of it, but it was based originally on Muse-chan's idea. Thank you, Julie! :D  
_Warnings, Pairings: _Go to previous chapters if you care to look.

---

**Love Letters  
**by KikiKitsune

'_Chapter 5: Kissing Roxas'_

---

Roxas read the letter again, shock dribbling over him. He sat at a long table next to Sora in the clubroom. Sora was busy replying to a letter of his own. And because of this, the brunet was too occupied to notice his brother's mouth was wide open, but Roxas didn't seem to mind.

It was the second Tuesday of high school now. And in another three days, Axel would be arriving at Destiny to spend three whole hours with the blond.

…And Roxas was scared.

He read the last line one last time.

'_P.P.S. One last question—Do you have something against gay people?'_

'_Was Axel…? Is Axel gay?' _Roxas thought to himself as he folded the letter back up and slipped it back inside the envelope, deciding he'd sort his thoughts and reply later. He sighed heavily. First Riku, and now Axel too? It was just too much. Well, it wasn't for _sure_ that Axel was, but wasn't it obvious? Either his penpal was gay, or at least didn't mind it. But Roxas did. He minded a lot. For him, it was just so…_weird! _Then again, Axel was pretty strange too, so it kind of made sense.

Roxas laid the side of his head against the table, face towards his brother. Sora was still writing to his own penpal. The strokes of his pencil were quick but sloppy. Sora was the clumsy one. Roxas felt bad for his brother's penpal who had to be forced to read his chicken scratch. This thought made the blond chuckle softly, and then he smiled. Sora promised to introduce his penpal to him. There was no point in keeping it secret now, because she'd be revealed anyhow and also because Sora didn't seem to care anymore.

Sora didn't seem to care at all.

The brunet hadn't been the same since Sunday—since Riku's little love confession. He still acted the same though, but Roxas questioned these actions. Sora still said the same stupid things, and he smiled that same silly smile of his. He went about like he normally would as if nothing happened (except for avoiding Riku. Riku in turn, avoided Sora as well). He even went up to Kairi and clumsily apologized, and they were okay again in an instant. Kairi was sweet like that. She just let it go because she knew Sora had personal reasons of his own, and she'd try her best to move on. Everyone saw Sora act the same, but Roxas knew better.

Sora was just pretending.

The boy with cinnamon locks stopped his pencil. He lifted the lead from the white sheet and placed the writing utensil to the side. He was finally finished with his letter. It was then that Sora noticed his brother beside him.

Roxas wasn't smiling anymore. There was no reason too. Sora was sad, so Roxas couldn't be happy.

Sora turned to the side where Roxas was resting his head on the table. He took in a deep breath, smiled, and then exhaled. "Hey, Roxas," he said in a soft but cheery voice.

"Hey, Sora," Roxas replied. The blond tried to smile back, but it was hard. Even though Sora had a smile on his face, his eyes—those bright brilliant sky colored eyes—looked so sad.

---

Yuna, Rikku, and Paine—they were the best of friends. Yuna and Rikku were cousins, so their families were naturally close. Paine's parents were co-workers with Rikku's so they grew up together that way. The three households were like a giant, massive family. And isn't it funny how they all live on the same street? Well, circle.

In the center of Gull Wings Circle, the three girls sat next to each other on the circular platform, wasting away a Thursday evening. Paine was to the right, Rikku to the left, and Yuna in the middle. They were chatting away, glancing up occasionally if there was a cute boy driving by. Yes, they were just girls being girls. And even more frighteningly, they were _teenage _girls.

"Ooh, Demyx is cute!" Yuna cooed as she grinned at a picture Rikku had handed to her. She nudged her cousin in the side with her elbow and both girls burst out giggling.

After a few seconds, Rikku attempted to be serious. "Oh, stop it!" she said, but her wide smile failed to persuade anyone. "He's in _college, _Yuna. He'd never like a high school girl like me, especially one that just came out of _junior_ high."

"Why not?" Yuna asked. "You're way prettier than all those _college _girls. And you're nice and funny and really cool." The brown haired girl turned to the girl with the Mohawk next to them. "Don't you think so, Paine?"

Paine simply nodded and went on reading the latest magazine of Dearly Beloved.

Rikku giggled once more. "Oh sure, trust _Paine._" The said girl ignored her blonde friend, and continued to flip through the magazine pages. Yuna frowned, unsatisfied with such an answer. "Oh, hey, so our penpals are coming tomorrow, aren't they? I'm so excited! You guys just _have _to meet him. And did I tell you yet? He wants to hear us sing!"

"Yeah, yeah, we know," Paine finally spoke. "You've been saying that all week. Shut up about it already."

The blonde pouted. It wasn't _her _fault; it was Demyx's for being so darn cute! Rikku couldn't help but fall for the guy. _And _he was a musician; she was a singer. It was like they were meant to be. At least, that's what Rikku believed. She had high hopes, despite her modest words. In a couple of years, she'd be older. And she was sure she'd then be able to steal Demyx's heart, just like he's stolen hers. It was all just a matter of time.

"Hey, we need boyfriends," Yuna insisted, bumping Paine gently as she swayed from side to side. "Rikku's already on her way to getting one, so we'll have to get one too or we'll get sick of all her rambling sessions about Demyx."

Paine turned away from an article on fashionable boots to look up at the brunette. "What do you mean by 'we'? Don't you already have Tidus?"

Yuna smiled softly and then shook her head. "We were never officially going out. Plus…I heard he and Selphie were getting a little…intimate."

Rikku's eyes began to fill with tears of sympathy. "Oh, poor Yuna!" she cried as she dramatically flung her arms around her cousin and wrapped her into a deadly tight hug. The brunette nearly fell over, but Paine caught her.

With a small smile, Yuna assured the younger girl that it was all okay. Yuna had always loved Tidus, and she always will. They'd been good friends since childhood, but things just never seemed to work out for them. They weren't "meant to be" as Rikku would say.

"Hey, look," Paine interrupted. She had gone back to her magazine. She placed an open page on Yuna's lap so that they all could see. At the top of the page in large bold letters were the words: "**BATTLE OF THE BANDS**".

Yuna read the caption underneath aloud. "'A heated competition for amateur bands only; the winners will receive an official contract and have an original single recorded and released worldwide.'" Under it was a section with more information, and on the next page was an entry form.

Rikku gasped. "Oh my gosh! Demyx and his band should _totally _enter this! I heard his band play once. They are _so _awesome. I bet they could win this thing. This is their chance!" Without another word, the blonde snatched the magazine and tore out the entry form. If she could get Demyx and his band in this, then he'd definitely fall for her, right?

Rikku stared at the page in her hands and smiled widely at it. This was her ticket to love. And if you know what a teenage girl would do for love, then you know that this could get a little dangerous, or even scary.

…or both.

Yeah, it's probably both.

---

"Okay, so _what _happened, now?"

In the Hikari's living room, Roxas and Sora, along with Sora's penpal sat listening to the adventurous story of Akuseru Akamichi. About half an hour ago, the students had met with their penpals at the high school and went their ways. Rikku and Roxas were the only ones left without their penpals. Odd as it was, considering the car Roxas swore Axel had, he along with Demyx were terribly late. The two college students eventually arrived though, and Demyx had gone off with Rikku and her cousin Yuna, leaving the redhead to go off with his own penpal.

And here was Axel now, explaining the story of why he was late. As he did so, he dried himself with a towel Roxas had handed him. Yes, Axel was _wet. _And what happened to make him wet, you might ask? Well, here's your answer.

"I was stupid, that's what happened."

Those were Axel's exact words. If you want the details, here's another explanation:

Apparently, last night the redhead went to a friend's house and got drunk, forgetting that he needed to actually _drive _the next day. One might think the alcohol would've worn down by the next afternoon, but it hadn't. And waking up with a massive headache, Axel foolishly let Demyx drive. Yes, he let _Demyx _drive his car_. _That could only happen if Axel was out of his mind, which he was.

So anyways, they got halfway there pretty safely, until…a _cow _appeared out of nowhere and stopped right in the middle of the road. And it was just a coincidence that a lake was right off the cliff next to the road, where Demyx dodged the cow and drove right into the lake.

"And that's what happened," Axel said, ruffling his soaked locks of red hair. Despite how calmed he seemed, the man was quite pissed off. Who wouldn't be? My gods, the man's car was at the bottom of a lake!

Three sets of sapphire orbs eyed him suspiciously. Did he really expect them to believe that nutty story? Last time Roxas checked, stuff like that only happened in cartoons and silly things like that. But for Axel, it looked like it was pretty normal, which sounded even nuttier to Roxas.

"So…" Sora finally spoke, "How are you gonna get home?"

Axel merely shrugged.

"I can give you a ride if you want." The boys all turned to the blonde girl that sat quietly among them. She smiled at them sweetly, only offering to help the situation.

The redhead's lip curved into a sincere smile of his own. "Thanks," he replied, "but I have to stay here until tomorrow. The people there said they couldn't fish my car out until tomorrow morning, and when they asked where we were heading, I gave them your address, Roxy."

"What? Here?" Roxas asked a little startled.

"Don't worry. I won't be bugging you," Axel assured, still drying his hair. "Demyx and I'll just stay in a hotel or something tonight, and we'll come back when they tow my car here. Is that okay with you guys?"

"No," Sora instantly said. Roxas turned to him with a look of surprise. "You're Roxas's penpal. We can't let you stay at a hotel. Just stay here. Our parents aren't gonna be home tonight because they're visiting my aunt in Traverse Town, but I'm sure if I called and asked, they wouldn't mind.

"Huh? Really?" Axel brightened. He turned to his blond penpal with a wide smile. "I'm up for that, if you don't mind, Roxy-kins."

For a quick second, Roxas's right eye twitched at the new nickname his penpal had given him. Seriously, where does he get this stuff?

All eyes were now on the blond. He glanced back and forth between his brother and his penpal. At that moment, the words of Axel's letter echoed in his head.

'_P.P.S. One last question—Do you have something against gay people?'_

Why the heck did that come to his mind? Sure, Roxas didn't, but could he handle having someone like that sleeping in his house, especially after what happened with Riku and Sora? If poor little Sora had read the letter, he'd be mortified! And he definitely wouldn't have offered Axel to sleep over. But…it's not like Roxas could kick Axel out either. The boy had no evidence, just a feeling. A pretty damn strong feeling at that!

And dammit, Axel, stop staring! Enough with the cute look, and those big puppy-dog eyes, and that happy smile! Ah, and you're getting too close for any sort of comfort. How was Roxas supposed to say no to a face like that?

"No," Roxas said bluntly, arms crossed over his chest.

"Huh? Why not?" Axel asked. His eyes pleaded sadly.

"Because," the blond answered. "I've only know you for what? _Two weeks? _How do I know if you're not gonna try to murder us or something?"

The man laughed. "You're joking, right?"

"…"

"Right?"

"…"

"Roxas!"

"…"

Axel narrowed his eyes and leaned in close to the blond boy, giving him a glare. He lifted both hands and wiggled them about. An omen of a tickle-attack was taking place.

"Okay, okay! It's fine with me, just stop already," Roxas agreed, finally giving in while shoving Axel's face away from his own. He was an extremely ticklish type. Was it really that easy to tell? Obviously, or Axel wouldn't have used that tactic.

"So it's settled," Sora smiled triumphantly. And then he remembered something as soon as his eyes averted away from his brother and towards the blonde girl next to him. "Oh," he began again, "I almost forgot. Roxas, Axel, this is my penpal Naminé. Naminé, this is my brother Roxas and his penpal Axel."

Both Roxas and Axel smiled at her. Naminé—she was nice and quiet, and quite pretty. That made Roxas smile even more. He wished he had a nice, pretty penpal that wasn't rude and loud. But instead, he got...that _thing. _The blond turned towards Axel, who looked like he was already bored and was now trying to touch his nose with his tongue. Roxas repressed the urge to slap the man.

"Well, Naminé and I are gonna go up to my room and play. We'll see you two later," Sora announced as he stood. Naminé followed suit, and the two ran up the stairs towards Sora's bedroom. And no, for all those dirty minds out there, they weren't doing anything but talking and drawing. It was almost all they ever did when they met.

As soon as the two left, an awkward silence fell over Roxas and Axel. They kept quiet as each pondered on what they should do or what to say. And when they did finally speak, it sounded a bit something like this:

"So…" Roxas began.

"So…" Axel answered.

"Um…yeah…"

"Yeah…"

"Err…"

"Hmm…"

"…"

"…"

"Um…you…"

"I what, Roxy?"

"Uhh…nevermind…"

"…"

"…"

Axel let out a chuckle and his lips curved into another smirk.

"Wh-what?" Roxas questioned. He was a little embarrassed with the awkward aura surrounding them.

The man began to explain himself without a single thought of doubt. "You look really uncomfortable. Was it my letter? You never did answer me, you know. It should have gotten to you by Tuesday, but you never wrote back."

Roxas turned to the side and tried to think of a lie to tell. He had forgotten to reply to the letter that day. He had meant to get to it, but one thing led to another and it ended up being unanswered. Not that it mattered anyways. If Roxas had sat down to write back, his mind would have gone blank. He had no idea how to answer Axel's question.

After a second or so, the blond spoke. "I…I was busy. We had lots of homework and stuff to do. I didn't get a chance to—"

"Did you read it?" Axel interrupted. The blond turned and found his eyes meeting orbs of a shining emerald. And then he was stuck. No matter how hard he tried to look in another direction, Roxas couldn't tear his eyes away. He just fell into the man's stare as his whole body began to numb. It was like Axel's eyes were hypnotic.

Finding himself unable to lie, Roxas slowly nodded his head and at this, Axel smiled.

"So answer me now. Do you?" Axel asked.

"Do I what?" Roxas answered a little spaced out.

"Have something against…umm…people who 'play for the other team'."

"Huh?"

"Stop playing dumb, Roxas. You know what I'm talking about," the redhead said confidently.

It was true. Roxas did know. But how was he supposed to answer that? He honestly didn't know what he thought about it. All he knew was that it was weird to him. It wasn't a bad thing, despite all the things he's heard, but so many people made it out to be a bad thing. So what was poor Roxas to do? The question was if he was against it, not if he thought it was a good or bad thing. All he wanted was to pick which ever one was the right way to go, but was _right_ necessarily what he actually_ thought?_

"I…" he began, hesitantly as he searched for the right words. "I'm…not _against _it, but…I don't really like it either. It's just…weird. Riku was the first person I ever knew that…uhh…'played for the other team.' I'm not really used to that kind of stuff. Plus, Sora seems pretty scared about it and I don't like it that it does scare him. He's been acting really strange since that thing with him and Riku happened."

"So…" Axel began, "Do you think Sora's against it?"

Roxas nodded immediately. "Definitely. Kairi's the only person he's ever liked, and she's a girl."

"Really now?" The blond turned to the man next to him. He found an unusual image of Axel lost in thought.

"What about you? Are you against it?" Roxas asked innocently.

"No, not me. I have a couple of gay friends, so it's okay with me. But I mean I don't really care if I am either. It doesn't really matter about gender, right?" Axel turned to the blond with a toothy grin. "For me, it's all about love."

Axel really was a strange one. Even though Roxas didn't say another word about it, he wanted to ask the man so many questions. Axel made him curious. He made him think about things Roxas never had before. The thoughts echoed in his head like a forgotten memory, itching to be remembered.

And for once in his life, Roxas realized that maybe it was true. He had never thought about that case before. Maybe…nothing _did _matter when _love_ was involved. So…did that mean Roxas would change if it were for love too?

Axel made him wonder, and that scared him a little bit.

---

"Woot! I win again!" Axel beamed.

Roxas flopped down onto his bed in defeat. He and Axel decided to spend their three hours playing video games. And out of thirty-seven rounds of playing DDR, the teenager won only one round, and that was only because Axel felt sorry for him. But the only reason, Roxas figured, why the redhead had been so good was because all Axel ever did was played video games. They had played video games on their first visit as well, right after their little conversation about their parents. So Roxas concluded that Axel played video games and had no _real _life.

"I quit," the blond announced, grabbing his pillow and curling up onto his bed. He was tired and ready for bed.

"What? _Already?_ It's only seven-thirty! Let's play again, Roxas. Just one more time," Axel insisted, smile widely visible.

"No," the boy answered instantly. He turned his back to the man and shut his eyes.

"Aw, please, Roxy-kins?"

Roxas replied with a loud yawn.

"Well, if you're not gonna play, at least make me something to eat. I'm hungry."

This time, Roxas didn't answer at all. He didn't find the need to. Axel was just acting like a big baby anyways.

"Roxy, did you hear me? I'm huuungry."

Still no answer.

"Roxas?"

Silence.

"Hello? Earth to Roxas, are you really asleep?" Axel stuck out his lower lip into a pout when his penpal _still _didn't answer him.

After about a minute or so, Roxas hadn't heard another word. He hoped that his annoyingly talkative penpal would just leave him alone. Maybe he'd be hungry enough to venture on downstairs and find food on his own, because Roxas sure as hell didn't feel like cooking. He was _way _too tired. Who wouldn't be after thirty-seven rounds of DDR?

Instead of the quiet that he hoped for, the teenage boy got a loud pounce. Blue eyes immediately shot open, fully surprised at Axel's sneak attack. Confused, Roxas froze and tried to figure out what was going on. Axel had jumped onto his bed and on top of the blond. Long, skinny arms were tightly wrapped around his waist, pulling him into a death-gripping hug. He felt Axel's head of red locks make itself comfortable by snuggle into his chest.

"A-Axel, what are you doing?" Roxas asked. A small shade of pink began to appear on his cheeks. He lied flat on his back and endured the older man's embrace.

"Well, since you won't make me anything to eat, I'll just go to sleep too," Axel answered innocently.

"Go to sleep on the floor!" the blond ordered as the shade of pink deepened.

"I don't wanna sleep there! It's hard and uncomfortable. And what if I hurt my back sleeping on it? It'll be all your fault," argued the redhead. He closed his eyes and tightened his grip on the smaller boy.

"Axel!" Roxas cried, trying to push him off. "Stop it!"

"Shh," Axel whispered with a devious smile as he turned to look at the blond in his arms. "You don't want Sora to hear now, do you? Your homophobic little brother might get the wrong idea. I mean, unless you want me to sleep with _him_ instead?" Roxas stared horrified at the smirking man that lied upon him. Was it just him or did it sound like Axel was blackmailing him?

"Don't you _dare _lay a finger on him!" Roxas threatened.

"Or you'll what?" Axel asked unfazed. He smiled playfully, curious as to what his little penpal was willing to do to protect his brother from Axel's devious ways.

Clenching his right hand into a fist, Roxas readied himself to give a punch but it was too late. Axel already had both of his arms pinned down onto the bed. A devilish smile was carved into the man's face as he laughed. Right then, the blond teen realized that those thirty-seven rounds of DDR had drained all the energy from his body and he could no longer struggle loose, and he wondered if it was all part of Axel's plan to murder them all.

"Dammit, Axel! Let me go!" the smaller boy demanded.

The redhead stuck out his tongue playfully. "Make me," he childishly retorted.

And Roxas did.

---

In a clear corner of Roxas's bedroom, a tall, slender college student with fiery red hair sat with his knees to his chest. His long, skinny arms were wrapped around his legs and his chin was buried in his neck. A small, single tear formed at the edge of his green eye. At this sight, Roxas couldn't help but laugh.

"Shee? Yhur rhalphing hat hee!" Axel shouted. He turned away from his corner to glare at the laughing boy.

"I can't help it," the blond grinned. "You look so funny, like an upset child."

Axel continued his death-glaring.

"Hey, it's your fault. You had it coming, Axel. And I already said sorry, like, a million times," Roxas pointed out. "What else do you want me to do?"

The redhead stuck out his tongue. It was redder than normal and swollen, and at the tip, there was a small cut where it was slightly bleeding. With a smile, he requested Roxas to, "Kish hit hen may kit fwill betour."

"Hell no," the teenager said almost too quickly. The playful laughter was now gone, and so was Axel's smile. He was back to his glaring ways.

In the corner, Axel continued to sulk and sob for moments longer. That stupid Roxas had _bit _his _tongue!_ What a crazy thing to do. No one had seen that coming, especially Axel. Who'd ever expect a guy like Roxas to do something like that anyways? Not Axel…d_efinitely _not Axel.

It was the first time Roxas had seen his annoyingly talkative penpal keep so quiet for so long since the two weeks that they've known each other. It was also the first time he'd seen the redhead so upset, though Roxas guessed it was probably because the redhead was bitten by someone that he didn't think would do so. It was true—the blond boy normally didn't bite. But what was he to do? Let Axel murder him?

Okay, so Axel probably _wasn't _going to murder him, but Roxas wasn't just going to lie back and do nothing. That'd be even more out of character for him. Though…some fans might actually like that. Haha, okay, sorry. I'm serious now. Back to the story!

The blond rolled his eyes. How old was Axel now? Nineteen? And how old was he acting? Roxas swore that this sulking man was _five_. Here, the blond remembered a situation that happened not too long ago. The same line worked with him, so maybe it could work for someone else too. With a sigh, the teen walked up to the man and in a cheery voice asked, "You want some ice cream?"

At the mention of the cold substance, Axel turned to face the teenager. He was still angry, but was the redhead angry enough to give up the chance for _free _ice cream? I think not! And neither did Roxas. Otherwise, he wouldn't have offered it.

---

It was a quiet, breezy night. The stars could be much more clearly shown here in Destiny than in Twilight Town. That was one thing, Roxas admitted, that was so wonderful about this place.

Though beautiful to be out on summer nights, autumn ones were far different. Roxas had forgotten how cold it could be. The last time he'd sat out on a front porch and ate ice cream was in the midst of summer when even the night air was warm. That warmth had long past and Roxas now realized just that.

"Damn, how can you still eat ice cream when it's freezing?" he wondered aloud.

The redhead man next to him merely shrugged. "It's not that cold to me. I have a jacket on."

Roxas turned to him and found it true. He was wearing a thin, winter, white, long-sleeved jacket with a black hood. On the trim of the hood was faux white fur, and the zipper had a little silver star attached to it. Hmm…This jacket sure did look a lot like one of Roxas's. Wait a second—it was!

"Hey, Axel, isn't that _mine_?" the blond shouted.

The redhead laughed. "You just noticed it now? I raided your closet right before we played DDR. I was wet, remember?" He pointed at the pants he was wearing to show that the jacket wasn't the only thing on him that belonged to the blond. "Well, I guess I'm not too surprised that you didn't notice. You were kinda spacey today. Or are you always like that?"

Roxas frowned and stuck out his lower lip. There had been a lot on his mind today, but it was still embarrassing not noticing someone else wearing your clothes.

"So…uh… Is your tongue okay?" the blond asked casually.

"Hm? The ice cream makes it hurt less," Axel answered. After a second or so, an idea came to his mind and a devious smirk to his face. At this, Roxas arched an eyebrow. He knew that smirk all too well. The man was up to something. Roxas didn't know what it was exactly, but one thing was for sure—Axel was up to no good. "But," the redhead continued. He held his vanilla ice cream cone to the side and leaned in towards the blond. "I bet a kiss would help."

Blue eyes narrowed into a tired glare. Axel really didn't give up, did he?

"No," Roxas answered. It's been at least three times since he'd said that word to the persistent man that day, but Axel didn't seem to take the hint. "I know that you don't care about guys kissing other guys and stuff, and I know that I told you I'm not really against it, but that doesn't mean I'm _for_ it either. I agree with you; we should do things for love. But still, I'm not ga—"

Before the last letter could escape his lips, Axel sealed it with a kiss. It wasn't anything too extreme. The kiss was short and their lips barely touched. The cold air had numbed them, so that Roxas could barely feel the other's lips on his.

Axel pulled away slowly with a smile of satisfaction. He'd finally got his kiss.

Roxas wasn't doing so hot though. His eyes and every other part of his body were frozen. Not from the cold, mind you, but from the shock. He hadn't thought that Axel would steal a kiss from him, so he was caught off guard. And well, also because he didn't know what to do. Not only was it his _first kiss, _but it was his first kiss and it was with a _boy. _Even more awkward, it was his first kiss and it was with an _older _boy.

At that very moment, an image of his brother and Riku kissing flashed in his mind, and he wondered if Sora had felt just as shocked as Roxas was feeling right then. It must have been even worse for Sora considering that Riku was his _best friend. _It wasn't so dramatic for Roxas because Axel was a stranger. But nonetheless, it was still very awkward.

Yes, very awkward indeed, but Axel didn't seem to think so.

With a laugh, the redhead turned back to enjoy his ice cream. "Hah, that wasn't so bad, was it?" he grinned. And more to his amusement, a shade of red had crept onto Roxas's cheeks. Though it was dark, the color changed was still visible under the moonlight.

As Axel continued to smile about the kiss he'd stolen, Roxas's shock slowly melted. And instead of turning red from blushing, he turned red from anger. And you know what this called for, right? Axel had it coming. But this time, he'd have more than just a bleeding tongue.

"YOUCH!"

---

**Kiki: **Uh, that was supposed to be a funny chapter. (cries at the poor attempt) I hope you guys at least laughed a little bit. (smiles) I reread the previous chapters and it made me go, "Why does this all sound so depressing?!" And so, I tried to make it a little lighter by having Roxas and Axel joke around. They've shared their first kiss together! (giggles) Sure, it's not much now, but this is just the beginning. Lots of things will happen before the ending comes. Oh! And yes, this story _does _have a plot! I just don't know what it is yet…but I won't be posting chapters with absolutely no meaning. Each chapter will help the plot…somehow…maybe… (laugh)

**Muse-chan: **Ohhh DDR!!! So that's how Axel's so slim all the time. He burns calories by playing DDR (laugh). By the way, if you didn't get what Axel was trying to say (while his tongue was acting weird) PM me or Kiki, ok? You can get to my profile by going in the review section and search for the review I wrote and click on my name 'knd44'.

**Preview: **No preview. I need to think of new ideas. Anyone have any to offer? The next one might take even longer because I'm still planning… I'll try my best to put up a new chapter before school starts again though! Thanks again to everyone! (big smile) Oh, and please pay attention to the "kisses make injuries feel better" thing that Axel kept saying. It might show up in later chapters, if you know what I mean. (wink) xD Haha! I'm just kidding, but really, keep that in mind. :)


	7. Any Other Way

**Kiki: **Summer school just ended for me today and I was all like "OMG! I was supposed to update by this weekend! Sorry for the delay. Uh, you guys all know I'm thankful that you guys read and review. Do I really have to say it? Well, yeah, this chapter was hard to write. I had a whole bunch of ideas, but didn't know which ones to put into this chapter. I hope it turned out okay. And because some people have been reading but not reviewing, I shall now use teh authoress-crazy-threats!!! (takes out a gun and points it at Sora's beautiful blue eyes) REVIEW OR SORA LOSES AN EYE!! (twitch)

**Sora: **She's gone nuts! Save me, save me! Dx (pleas with a kyute puppy-dog face)

**Muse-chan: **(comes in room) What the hell are you doing?!?! (takes away gun)

**Kiki: **Aw! (pouts)

(No _real_ people were injured in the making of this fanfiction.)

**Kiki: **Anyways, this chapter is unbetaed! My beta-chan is away right now, so she'll edit it when she comes back. Please bear with my horrible writing! And I'm sorry about how crappy this chapter turned out! Hope you guys aren't mad at me for being so lazy! Well, here it is.

**Edited: 1 Aug 2007**

**Julie: **It's betaed now! (smile) Now this message is for the reviewers. Kiki and I have decided that we would reward the people who review and/or plug us (we will check if the plug is good or it will be considered "fake")

_Normal readers/reviewers_ – Will receive the Preview that is at the end of each chapter. That is, if Kiki writes a Preview at that time.

_People who review more than half the time_ – They will get a sneak peak of the next chapter. Probably only about 5 paragraphs (still not officially confirmed, it depends if Kiki can write that much in advance).

_People that have supported the story from the beginning, and people who plug and review at least half of the time_ - They'll get the same sneak peak as the people that reviewed more than half, but the reward will be a somewhat longer, maybe 10 paragraphs (again not officially confirmed).

People eligible to get (5 paragraphs) sneak peak: Lamatikah/Skitts and Ally Montgomery. If any of you do no wish to get the sneak peak please contact me.

Even I'm not eligible to get it haha, but since _I'm_ the one emailing the sneak peaks...

**Kiki: **I have special reasons why I put Lamatikah and Skitts as one. Don't ask. They just are (smiles). Now on with the story!

_Disclaimer, Warning, Pairings: _See previous chapters.

---

**Love Letters  
**by KikiKitsune

'_Chapter 6: Any Other Way'_

---

It was a sunny, breezy Saturday morning. Beside from a low chirping from early birds and distant voices, the air was quiet and peaceful. Today, there was no school, no worries. It was a given for lazy teenagers to sleep in until noon on mornings such as these, but did Roxas Hikari know that? Apparently not.

Blue eyes were halfway open, tiredly staring at a blank bedroom ceiling. It was his ceiling—his bedroom. But for a short moment, he thought otherwise of it. The bed that he lied on was much softer. It offered a much gentler feel to it than he remembered. And though soft, the touch was somewhat uncomfortable, like sleeping on stranger's bed. And the window was far too small, letting in less sunlight than Roxas would have liked it to. The room was darker, and it hurt his eyes when he turned towards the sun that rose on the other side of the glass.

With a yawn, he took another quick look at his surroundings. The room was, indeed, his. Sometimes, Roxas just forgets that he no longer sleeps in that room back in Twilight Town. His new room was a tad bit smaller, but large enough for a messy teenager. Everything in this room was his. Well, everything except…that _thing._

"What the…?" The blond turned to his left to find that there was another person beside himself in the room. Roxas decided to take a minute or so to sort his thoughts of last nights events before he rightfully shoved the sleeping man off his bed.

Let's see, let's see… Last night, his penpal Axel had come over because it was a Friday—the day when penpals at Roxas's high school visited each other's towns. Now what had the two boys done? First, they met Sora's penpal Naminé. She was nice, but a little too quiet for Roxas's taste. And then after Sora and Naminé left, Axel and Roxas played thirty-six rounds of DDR. Or was it thirty-seven rounds?

And then after that...

A light shade of pink fell onto the boy's cheeks. He quickly turned his back to the sleeping redhead, damning all the embarrassing events he endured the day before. That's right. It all came back to him. Axel had pinned Roxas down on his own bed in a position that looked far more perverted than it really was. And Roxas remembered all the details far too vividly than he'd liked. The feel of the other's body, pressed against his own was still fresh in his mind.

And let's not forget about that little kiss. No, Roxas could definitely not forget that, especially considering it was his first _ever. _Thinking about the surprisingly gentle kiss Axel had given him only made Roxas blush harder. Though it was brief and barely left any sort of impression, Roxas couldn't help but replay the moment over and over again in his head.

Hesitantly, he turned around to face his penpal. The blond thanked the heavens that Axel was still dead asleep. A soft laugh escaped the boy's lips when he got a good look at the Axel's face. He smiled, admiring the job he'd done on the man. Axel's face was littered with bruises and tiny cuts that Roxas had given him for kissing him yesterday.

By this time, a very important question came to Roxas's mind.

_'Why the hell is Axel in my bed in the first place?'_

A great question indeed. Last night, Roxas swore that he kicked Axel out of the house. But kind-hearted Sora, of course, let him back in. Naminé had gone back to Twilight Town sometime in between then, and Demyx arrived soon after his visit to Rikku's house. The musician ended up sleeping in Sora's bedroom. Axel was told to sleep on the living room couch since Roxas forbade him to go anywhere near Sora's room, and wouldn't let the man in his own. So now, why was the redhead sleeping right beside Roxas?

The blond slowly sat up and wiggled his toes. With a smirk and a devious thought in mind, he readied himself for an attack. It was too bad for him though. Axel made a move before Roxas could even crack out that marvelously fun evil laugh of his.

Long, slender arms suddenly reached forward, grabbing Roxas's waist and pulling him into a tight embrace. A blush came deep as Axel snuggled his pointed nose into the boy's tiny neck. The blonde's left arm was trapped within the hug, but he used his free right hand to try to push the man away. It was useless though. A familiar feeling of helplessness overwhelmed him, just like the last time Axel had held him this way. He whimpered softly when the man began sniffing his neck. It tickled in a way Roxas didn't know, and he wasn't sure if he liked it or not…

"Mmm..." he heard Axel moan softly. "Demyx…it smells like…strawberries."

_'Straw…strawberries?' _Roxas repeated in his head. _'Is he talking in his sleep?'_

The younger boy waited a few seconds, observing the older man. Roxas couldn't see much pass the spiky locks of red hair. Though, he didn't need to see as much as he needed to feel.

Out of nowhere, something warm, thick and wet brushed across Roxas's neck, from his collarbone to the very edge of his jaw. The blonde's face turned beat red and he shivered at the tingling feeling that was sent throughout his whole body.

And that's when Roxas shoved.

In a single movement, Roxas curled his knees to his chest, in between Axel and himself, and forcefully pushed his feet forward. And with a loud _SMACK! _Axel fell off the bed and onto the floor.

"OUCH! What the _fuck?_" Roxas heard him shout soon after.

The blond watched as the man slowly sat up while rubbing his back. When his eyes opened, they instantly winced, but not from the pain. The bright morning light stung his emerald colored eyes and he couldn't resist the urge to rub them as well. Though he continued to do so, the rubbing did little to sooth any pain he had in his eyes _or _his back.

He turned to Roxas with an angry glare. "Why'd you do _that _for?!" he asked with a huff. "I was just _sleeping. _Geez, it's not like I was doing anything wrong!"

Ignoring the man's words, Roxas shakily reached towards his neck were Axel had licked it. Yes, Axel had _licked _him.

The spot was still wet, but it wasn't something that couldn't be easily wiped away. Still, it was awfully disgusting. Roxas shivered, recalling the events of only seconds before. His mind focused on the slight pressure that was applied where Axel had brushed his long, wet tongue. And to think that Roxas was so freaked out by this, considering he _bit _that very same tongue.

"Seriously, it's not like I was gonna rape you while you were asleep or something..." Axel rolled his eyes. It was way too early for this sort of thing. Not to mention painful. Maybe sneaking into his penpal's bedroom wasn't such a good idea. Roxas seemed to hate the man enough already, noting the cuts and bruises on Axel's face. No need for more violence…

"G..." the blond began.

"Huh?" Axel replied, obviously not understanding the situation.

"Ge..."

"What's that, Roxy? I can't hear you. Speak up," the redhead said. He cupped a hand to his ear and leaned forward.

"Get...OUT! Get out of my room!"

"Huh?" Axel instantly backed away from the blonde's sudden outburst.

"Get out, get out, _GET OUT!!!_"

"Wha—Wait a second! Roxas! Ouch, hey! Roxas, I'll get out, just sto—ouch! That one _really _hurt! Will you hold on for a minute? Ouch, ouch! Stop it! …_Will you put that thing down already?!_"

---

"Sounds like they're awake."

"Yeah, I guess so."

Surprisingly, downstairs in that very same house, it was peaceful and actually non-violent. Demyx and Sora were having the breakfast that Sora had made, and enjoying the beautiful sunny morning. Demyx nibbled at the corner of a piece of toast while Sora repeatedly stabbed his metal fork into his plate. He'd made his scrambled eggs a little _too _scrambled, meaning that they were too small to actually put on his fork and eat.

"Wow, I'm really surprised. People usually want to kill Axel the first day that they meet him. He can be so rude sometimes," Demyx sighed. "Roxas's actually been able to tolerate a lot more than most people. You too, Sora."

"I don't mind Axel; he seems pretty nice," the brunet smiled. "And Roxas has to deal with _me,_ so he's used to being patient with others," Sora added with a tone that sounded a little more proud than it should have been.

"Yeah..." The dirty blond teenager put down his toast and picked up a glass of orange juice. Thoughts ran in his head as he took a sip. He'd been thinking a lot lately about a certain redhead. Demyx placed his glass back down and turned to the younger boy. "Um, hey...Sora?"

"Yeah?" Sora replied, only half listening. He kept his eyes on his plate and began trying to shovel the scrambled eggs into his mouth.

"Um..." Demyx began, but stopped as he searched for the right words. He slowly spoke the thoughts that had been mixed in his head. "Do you think that...maybe...by some weird chance...Do you think that Roxas might…like Axel in…_that _way?"

Blue eyes turned to meet the other. Sora's jaw dropped as he stared speechless at Demyx. For a while, they continued to stare at each other, even as a few tiny pieces of scrambled egg fell out of Sora's mouth and back onto his plate. The air around them was awkward, but Demyx seemed to be the only one feeling it. Sora was still numbed by the shock.

Had Demyx just ask Sora if he thought his brother was gay?

At this thought, Sora suddenly burst out laughing. The dirty blond arched an eyebrow at him. What exactly was so funny? It was an honest to good question, wasn't it? Or maybe Demyx was just thinking too much…

As Sora continued to laugh, Demyx began to feel a little silly. He probably _was _just thinking too much. Really now, Roxas and Axel had only known each other for two weeks_. _As if that was enough time to "fall in love". Real love took a lot more time than that. Demyx should know. He's been in love for nearly three years now.

---

"Sora, Roxas, it's time for dinner!"

The two brothers came downstairs a minute or so later and seated themselves at the dinner table with their father and Sora's mother. Their father was a tall, somewhat muscular man. His stomach was starting to round though, showing that he wasn't as fit as he used to be. His hair was cut short in a dark colored brown, and his eyes were as deep and blue as his sons'. He was a fairly kind man, always smiling and laughing. Well, when he wasn't arguing with his wife.

Sora's mother was a skinny, kind-hearted woman. Her long, curled hair was a lighter shade of brown with natural blonde highlights, and her eyes were a jade colored green. Despite a few wrinkles under her eyes, she looked fairly young for her age, and she had a very sweet smile. Though she played the perfect, ideal housewife, this woman was also overly sensitive. And that, the boys believed, was why she and their father argued so often.

And just to put more pressure on Roxas, the arguing seemed to have gotten worse since he arrived. It was bad enough that his mother played a part in almost breaking up the family, but now her son was living there with them. Roxas felt so out of place, so unwanted. All he ever did was cause problems for them. He already blamed himself for his mother's death. And now, it was like he was continuing in breaking up the marriage.

In truth, Roxas believed, if he was never born, things might've not been so bad. When their father found out that Roxas's mother was pregnant, he confessed everything about the affair to his wife who was also pregnant with Sora at that time. He threatened to get a divorce as he and his wife continuously argued about it, but Roxas's mother wouldn't have it. She told them that she would leave so long as they allowed Roxas to see his brother. Even if they were only half brothers, she believed that the two had a right to at least know each other. They _are _still brothers in the end after all, right?

But if only, if only…

If Roxas wasn't born, their father would've never confessed and then he and Sora's mother would've never started arguing so much. Meanwhile, Roxas's mother would probably have ended up alone. But that was better than dying by trying to support her only son, right? Sure, she would have been alone, but she could have found someone new and continued living. That's right; she'd still be alive.

Well, that's what Roxas believed anyways.

"So, how was your visit?" Sora's mother asked. "Your penpals left before your father and I got a chance to meet them. Did you boys have fun?"

Sora smiled and nodded. "It was lots of fun. Naminé and I—"

He was cut off by his own mother. "'Naminé'? Isn't that a girl's name? I didn't know your penpal was a girl. And heavens, I let her stay overnight! You didn't _do _anything to the poor girl, did you, boys?"

The brunet laughed. "Mom, Naminé left yesterday. I already explained this to you. Penpals are only supposed to stay for three hours on Friday, but Roxas's penpal had a special excuse."

"Oh, that's right," their father jumped in. He chuckled at the story he was told. "He drove his car into that lake."

"Not him, it was his friend. They both stayed over because they had to wait until their car was fished out," Sora explained.

"Boys, don't ever get into a car with that guy's friend," their father ordered. They merely laughed at the obvious. It's not like Axel would ever let Demyx drive again anyways.

With a smile, the woman turned to Roxas. "So, tell me what else you boys did. I'd like to know more about these penpals of yours."

The blond turned away from his plate and glanced up at the woman. "We didn't do much, Mrs. Hikari. I just played video games with my penpal. It wasn't all that interesting," Roxas lied. He shifted in his seat. It was weird calling the woman by that name. It was his father's name. Roxas's mother decided to use it rather than her own to make him feel closer to Sora and his father.

"My, my," she said. "Are you still calling me 'Mrs. Hikari'? We're family now, Roxas, dear. Just call me 'Mom'."

And then it began.

"Don't tell him to do that, Lynn," their father hissed.

The two boys glanced at each other, and then turned to their laps.

"Why not? He's part of our family now," she insisted. "He calls you 'Dad', so why can't he call me 'Mom'?"

"He calls me 'Dad' because I _am _his dad," the man pointed out. "You're not his mother. You have no right to ask him to call you that."

Sora quietly pushed his food around his plate with his fork, hoping in his head that they'd stop before things erupted too much.

The woman's face stung with hurt. "Well…I don't understand what's so wrong about asking him to."

"It's just wrong. Drop it, will you?"

But she didn't. She kept going.

For a while, no one said anything. But then after a moment, Lynn went on speaking. "How's it wrong?" she asked. "I'm Sora's mother, and Sora's his brother. So it's just the same as being a real mother to him." Her face showed signs of starting to become upset.

"No. It isn't," he said as calmly as possible. "You can't be his mother."

"Well, why not? His own mother's dead anyways!"

Roxas's eyes shot wide open and his head turned to stare at the two grown ups.

"Shut up! Don't bring that up when he's right here, you idiot!" Their father's voice grew louder as he went on speaking.

Tears began to form in her jade eyes.

Sora trembled as he fought the urge to cry out.

"Well, it's true!" she shouted back. "She's dead, Aaron. You're going to have to face the facts sooner or later."

"I said, _shut up!_" He banged his fist onto the table.

"The woman's dead! Roxas's still a boy. He needs a mother, Aaron!"

"No, he doesn't. If he wants you to be his mother, he can tell you that himself. Don't you put your words in his mouth!"

The woman turned to the blond boy. His sapphire eyes were still staring wide at them.

"Roxas, sweetie, go ahead and tell him. It's okay for you to call me 'Mom', isn't it? Go on, tell your father."

The blond didn't say a word. He just continued to stare at them as the same words echoed in his ear. _"Well, why not? His own mother's dead anyways!"_ Those words were true, and Roxas knew that.

But they still hurt...

"Stop pressuring him, will you? Just shut your trap!"

"Why? Why are you so against him calling me his mother? Is it because you're still in love with that whore of a home wrecker?!"

"What?" the man hissed. "How could you say things like that when Roxas is right here listening?"

"He should hear!" The woman quickly stood and pushed her seat to the side. It fell with a loud _thump._ "You can't keep sheltering him like this. That woman was a whore and you know it! She knew you were married. She knew we were going to have a child, but she went ahead and slept with you anyways! And even now that she's dead, you're still protecting her! But you know what? I hate her! I hate _you! _I wish you'd have died in that accident with her! You and your bitch can just go to hell!"

"Lynn, that's _enough!_"

But it was too late. The woman was already out the door, and he just sat there and watched her leave.

Aaron turned to his two sons. He struggled with the words trapped in his throat. They just sat there, still in place.

Finally, their father spoke the only words he could think of to say. "…I'm…sorry you boys had to hear that…"

Sora shook his head and Roxas's eyes began to fill with tears. Things had gone way too far this time...

"I don't blame you, Dad," Sora said honestly. "If you didn't do the things you did…" He turned to the blond next to him. "…we wouldn't have Roxas. I don't like that Mom's hurting, but…I'm glad we have Roxas." The blond turned to the brunet with watery eyes. And without another word, the Sora grabbed his brother's hand and pulled him towards the stairs.

---

It was a starry, clear night. There was no wind, and it was oddly warm for a day in autumn. Roxas and Sora didn't seem to mind though, considering they were sleeping outside. In their backyard, they lied on a blanket in the grass, staring at the night sky. The air was cold and refreshing, a nice change to the heavy atmosphere in the house. Though no one else was home, the two couldn't stand being in that house. They wouldn't sleep in there tonight. No, falling asleep under this beautiful blanket of stars was much more comforting.

"I don't think my mom's coming home tonight," Sora said. He lied on his back next to Roxas with his arms crossed behind his head. "She probably went back to my aunt's and uncle's house in Traverse Town. And Dad's probably out drinking again. I saw him leave a while ago."

Roxas lied silently, listening to the chirping of crickets in the grass and the rustling of leaves in the trees.

"Roxas…" Sora began. "I really am sorry about what my mom said." The brunet turned to his brother who in turn, stared at the sky. "I hate it when she says stuff like that, but she doesn't mean it. She's just mad at Dad, that's all. Don't take her too seriously. She and your mom were friends after all…weren't they?"

Sora frowned. Roxas hadn't said a word since dinner. He hadn't even looked at his brother in the eyes. It only made the brunet more worry than he already had been. After the incident at the dinner table, the two locked themselves up in Sora's room, and the brunette let his brother cry for hours. It wasn't considered "normal" to other people for teenage brothers to do things like this, but Sora and Roxas never were normal brothers. They were much closer.

"Roxas, say something, will you?" Sora pleaded. "Come on. When it comes to our family, we don't have secrets. You and I always talk about this kind of stuff with each other."

When the other didn't respond, Sora went on.

"…don't you trust me anymore?"

The blond continued to ignore him, eyes still focused on the night sky.

Sora sighed in defeat and closed his eyes. His brother had been acting so strange lately. The brunet couldn't help but wonder if something had happened without his knowledge. The two were closer than most brothers, though they used to live so far apart. If there was anything on the other's mind, it was spoken. They'd usually talk after things like this happened. So why was Roxas acting so secretive now? Sora felt so left out with his brother being so quiet. It was like Roxas was in a completely different world.

"Hey, Sora?"

"Hm?" the said boy answered without opening his eyes. He was sleepy and only half listening. He hadn't realized that Roxas was actually speaking to him.

"…I'm sorry too."

At this, the brunet opened his eyes and turned towards his brother. He found Roxas's blue eyes still stuck towards the sky. He blinked a couple of times, wondering if he'd just imagine the other apologizing.

Sora found his answer when Roxas spoke once more. "I haven't been…myself lately. And I'm sorry if I worried you. But…it's okay. You don't have to worry about me. I know your mom acts the way she does because of me, and I'm sorry for that too. I'm sorry that Dad and your mom fight because I'm here."

"You don't have to apologize about that stuff, Rox," Sora whispered softly.

"If…I was never born, things would've been different, wouldn't they? Your mom and Dad wouldn't fight so much, and my mom might still be alive."

Sora shook his head. "Don't say that, Rox. They were always fighting, even before we were born. And your mom loved you," he went on. "I know she didn't regret a single thing she did. She never regretted having you."

"But…"

A hand crept closer and Roxas turned to find that it had grasped one of his own. "You blame yourself for too much crap, Roxas. Let it go, won't you? It's not your fault. Things happened because of what my mom, your mom, and our dad did. Everything was _their _choice. Not ours. Just let it go." Roxas frowned and Sora narrowed his eyes. His hand tightened around his brother's. "Let me tell you this—never once have I blamed you for living. I don't like that my mom and our dad fight on a daily basis, but I'd never wish for you not to be born. And, as…_gay _as this may sound, you're my only brother, Roxas. I love you, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

Blue eyes widened with surprise. Had Sora just used that word? Roxas was sure that his brother had ignored any use of that word since the incident with Riku. But the brunet had said it for Roxas. Even though the blond was sure his brother was homophobic, Sora was willing to say such things for him. Talk about brotherly love. How gay could you get? Especially with that hand-holding!

A small smile curved slowly onto the other boy's lips. "Thanks, Sora," he chuckled.

The brunet returned the smile with a grin of his own. "You're very welcome. I'll always be here for you."

Roxas couldn't repress his laughter. He burst out laughing so loud that it caused the neighbors' dogs to start howling. For someone who was so against homosexuals, Sora sure said some pretty gay stuff. The irony was just too much for this teenager to handle.

"Hey, why are you laughing?" Sora pulled away his hand and his smile was replaced with an adorable pout. "I'm opening up my feelings to you and you _laugh_ at me? Some loving brother you are!"

Tears formed at the corners of blue eyes and Roxas had to hold his stomach because the laughing hurt so much. He wondered when the last time he laughed like this was. It'd been so long, and it was such a good feeling. It was such a relief after all the bad things that had happened that day. All the hurtful words and all the painful memories had faded away under his laughter.

And he hoped that they would never come back.

---

'_2:51 AM.'_

"What the—?"

Roxas yawned as he held his tiny cellphone in his hand. His phone had rung in the middle of the night and he quickly picked it up before it woke Sora up, who was sleeping beside him. The screen flashed brightly and his eyes winced at the sudden change in light.

'_Who's calling me in the middle of the night?' _he wondered, and took another look at the screen. It read: **'1 New Message'**. He snuggled closer to Sora and wrapped the blanket tighter around them. The air of the night was still cold, but warmth was tucked between these sheets and his brother.

The blond clicked a button and opened the message. It was a text from a certain redhead.

'_mornin, roxy-poo. :) i just remembered. i still have your locket. ill give it back to you friday, k? and write back. its your turn.'_

Roxas narrowed his eyes at the screen, remembering the events of yesterday morning. It only took the redhead two days to drive the blond insane. First the awkward gay talk, and then the hugging and the kiss, and then the _licking! _Not to mention that the man had woken him up in the middle of the night because he suddenly decided to remind Roxas about the locket. He could've done it in sane hours, but no. Axel was made just to piss the blond off. You could just feel the angry steaming from the teen.

Roxas quickly punched in a reply.

---

Axel lied on his stomach on bed as he munched on a soft, chocolate chip cookie. A black and red cellphone rested in his hand. He felt it vibrate, indicating that his little penpal had replied to his text message. His roommate Demyx was dead asleep on the other side of the room, so he couldn't put his ringtone on.

A wide smile was stretched across the man's face. He had purposely waited until it was in the middle of the night to text the teenager. He couldn't help it. Teasing Roxas was just too much fun. He was like a new little toy for Axel to play with. Until the toy was no longer fun, the redhead would keep playing with his penpal in anyway he could. But Roxas was just so cute. Yes, definitely very cute. Axel wouldn't be bored for a long while.

The man turned back to his cellphone. The message read: _'y r u up so late? n im not writing nemore so just mail me the locket'_

_'what do you mean youre not writing anymore?' _was Axel's reply.

A minute or so passed before the phone vibrated again. Axel opened the new message.

'_ive made a decision' _was all it said.

The redhead tilted his head to the side, both curious and confused. With the cookie held between his lips, Axel replied to his dearest Roxy-poo, using both hands to make it faster. His message was: '_what decision?'_

He was seriously lost. Roxas wasn't going to write anymore and he made some decision? Was he still mad about the kiss or something? Maybe the blond was going to stop writing until Axel apologized for it or paid him back somehow.

Axel finished off his cookie as he waited for Roxas to answer. It took less than a minute for the cellphone to vibrate once again. He read the message in his head.

_'im quitting the club.'_

Silence.

Axel's jaw dropped as he tried to process the words of the message.

Roxas was quitting the club?

And then he exploded.

**"WHAT?!"**

"AHH!!" Axel turned to the other side of the room to find a screaming Demyx wide awake. Oops, guess he woke his roommate up…along with everyone else in the apartment building.

Lights quickly flashed on, lighting the whole building like a giant jack-o-lantern. They heard various shouts and voices. Everyone was wondering what had happened, but only a certain redhead knew the answer.

Axel lost his toy, and he didn't know how to get it back.

---

**Kiki: **I'M SORRY THIS CHAPTER SUCKED. I hurried a bit at the end, and it was only read over a few times. When my beta comes back to edit this, I'll try to add a bit more detail, okay? And I'll try to make it less crappy. And...REVIEW OR ELSE!! (takes gun from Muse and points it at Sora)

**Sora: **Heeeeeelp meeeeeeeee!!! (about to lose an eye)

**Muse-chan:** (takes her hand and points it at Sora's crotch) We wouldn't want an _unfortunate_ accident to happen, would we? And if you don't like RikuSora... (grabs Axel) I've got a plan B! (takes out another gun).

**Edited: 1 Aug 2007**

**Julie: **I order you guys to check the awesome fanart Kiki-chan did for the story!! If you don't, you will perish!! My vacation is almost finished and I'll be back very soon, so I will be able to beta faster!! (This chapter's a little late: 1 - Had to wait to see if Kiki like the idea of giving the people rewards, 2 - My uncle is stealing the computer (cries))

**Kiki: **If you really want to see my pictures, they're on my main page. I only have three up right now, but I'll put more up soon.

**Preview: **Hey, hold on there! What do you mean you're quitting the penpal club? Don't tell me it was about that kiss. Come on, Roxy. It was just a stupid kiss. Get over it. What? What are you talking about? If it's not about the kiss, then what is it? Why are you so mad at me? (gasp!) Is it because you've finally fallen in love with me and can't stand to be around my hotness?! Just kidding. But really, talk to me already. It's kind of lonely without having you to write to…


	8. The Fluffy Yellow Beast

**Kiki: **Woot! Thanks to everyone who read/review! I'm so glad that this is turning out so much better than I expected. (heart) Well, I hope this chapter was a little better than the last. Taking it off of the family for a tiny bit and going back to AkuRoku. (smiles) This chapter is like, _really _long. And I honestly mean it. It's REALLY long.

And for those of you that are wondering, Sora's not gay. I think... xD I'm still debating on who to put him with. Yes, in truth, this story began with little thought in mind. I am honestly just going along with whatever is in my head the day I write each chapter. No lies.

But Sora's ending up with probably Kairi or Naminé. And if he's gay, I'll put him with Riku...or someone else. (wink) If you were paying _really _close attention, you'll know that I had someone else in mind too. Guess and get it right first, and I'll put in a small request in the next chapter just for you!

**Julie: **Waahhh! I don't know, I don't know! (head-desk) Anyway, I'm back in Canada (smile). If you wanna know what happened on my trip, click the homepage link on my profile. Haha, I love the title of the chapter!!

**Kiki: **And for those of you that are interested in getting sneak peaks for my future chapters, go read the author notes in the previous chapter. It's been updated by my Muse-chan and me. And I edited it a bit so that it had more details and so that it could flow a little better.

**Julie: **By the way Kiki-chan, when will you start sending the sneak peak?

**Kiki: **I'll be sending the sneak peak right after I post this chapter, so expect to see it soon for those of you that qualify. And if you don't know what I'm talking about, please go the author notes in the last chapter.

...NOW READ! I shall update like crazy before that hellish thing called school returns.

_Disclaimer, Warning, Pairings: _See previous chapters.

---

**Love Letters****  
**by KikiKitsune

'_Chapter 7: The Fluffy Yellow Beast'_

---

Akuseru Akamichi—age nineteen and currently attending Twilight University as a second year college student—was wasting away his life more than he usually did. He lied on his bed, on his stomach with his cellphone in hand. He stared at it silently for a while, and then let out a big sigh. It was about five weeks into the new school year now, and he was already bored. Classes were dull as usual, and his friends were all too busy to play with him. Even being at work was starting to get boring. And my gods! Not even the video games seemed to entertain him anymore!

_That_ was what made Demyx worry the most.

Axel loved video games. He could play the same one over and over again for months without getting bored. Well, he did it for the most part because it annoyed the hell out of everyone else, but that's _not _the point! The _point _was that something so horribly wrong must have happened for Axel not to be playing video games.

And Demyx was pretty sure he knew what it was, which made him a little sad.

"He's still not picking up his phone?" the younger student asked.

Axel said nothing but punched in a few buttons and clicked the call option. It rang about five times before the other line finally picked up. But there wasn't a person at the other line. Nope, it was just a voice mail. Demyx watched curiously as Axel put it on speaker phone so that both of them could hear.

_"Hey, I can't pick up right now, but feel free to leave a message...unless you're Axel. Then you can just fuck off. BEEP!"_

The cellphone was snapped close and Demyx's face filled with pity. "Wow," was all he could say.

Axel nodded. "I _know." _The redhead let out another heavy sigh. "I wrote to him like, eight times, but he never wrote back. And I called him probably more than thirty times these past weeks. He put that as his voice mail about a couple of days ago. I think he's trying to tell me to stop calling him." Axel fiddled with the phone in his hands. "It's not fair. He won't even _try_ to talk to me, Demyx..."

Demyx frowned. "Did you try apologizing?"

He nodded again. "In every letter. I even left a few voice messages and tried to bribe him by telling him that I wouldn't give back his locket until he _at least_ let me explain things. He didn't buy any of it. I guess he's pretty mad, huh? That locket meant a lot to him too..." Axel rolled over onto his back and shut his eyes.

His roommate stepped over and sat on the bed next to him. The bed sank a bit at the new added weight. With a smile, Demyx gently petted Axel's head. "It's okay. If it really means a lot to him, he'll give in sooner or later. Just give him some more time to cool down."

The redhead said nothing and just nodded. He wasn't sure why he cared so much anyways. Roxas wasn't anyone important to him, just a toy. A very cute toy. A toy so adorably fun that Axel wanted to rape the shit out of him. Yes, that's all he was.

Axel took in a deep breath and opened his eyes as he let it out. He reached up and held onto Demyx's hand that was resting on his forehead.

He didn't want to admit it, but it hurt. He wasn't really used to being ignored like this. At first, Axel didn't mind it so much. Roxas was just a toy after all. But then he got annoyed. He called, and wrote, and called some more, but there was never a reply. And even though Axel knew he should've quit, he couldn't. That cute little toy's image was pressed deep into his mind, and he couldn't get it out. And even worse, he wasn't sure if he liked it very much because it was like his mind refused to forget about him. And that bugged Axel too. It was Axel that always got to _people_, but this was a first that anyone had ever gotten to _him_. No one had ever made him feel like this before.

But it's not like it was _love _or anything. Axel knew that for sure. It was just hormones, right? Nothing more, nothing less.

At least, that's what he kept telling himself, but he didn't even really believe himself either.

"Hey, Axel?" Demyx said, taking the redhead away from his thoughts.

"Yeah?" he answered.

"This might sound a little stupid since I probably should have asked sooner but...Why is Roxas mad at you in the first place? I mean, you had to do something pretty big for him to ignore you for three weeks, _and _make him quit the penpal club."

For a long while, the room was silent, and neither of them said a word. Axel wasn't quite sure what he did himself, so how was he supposed to answer that?

Letting go of Demyx's hand, the man slowly sat up. "I'm not sure..."

"Well, you must've done or said something," the other went on. After a few minutes of silence, Demyx rolled his eyes. It was obvious that Axel couldn't think of a thing to say. "My god, what was I doing asking _you? _You never think _anything_ you do is wrong. You probably raped him and thought it was okay!"

Axel stuck out his lower lip into a pout. "Hey! I didn't even _try _to rape him! At least, not yet..." A small smirk curved onto his lips.

Demyx made a face. "Newsflash, Axel. If you didn't know, that's kind of, um, I dunno, _**bad?**_" he pointed out, sarcasm dripping in his voice."You can't go around touching little boys. He's a minor and you're legally an adult. You can get arrested for that!"

"I _know, _Demyx. I was just joking. Of course I'm not gonna try to rape him," Axel said. And that, for those of you who didn't know, was a lie.

The older man got off the bed and stepped towards the window. He leaned against the windowsill and sighed for the umpteenth time that day. In truth, he knew what he probably did wrong.

"I kissed him," he finally admitted.

"..._What?_" he heard Demyx say behind him. "You...you _kissed _him? Why?"

A sad smile was all Axel could afford. He shrugged and stared outside. It was starting to get dark outside. That meant it was time to go. He walked over to his bed, snatched up the black hooded jacket that was lying next to Demyx, and headed towards the door. Just before he stepped out the door, he turned around to face his friend. With a wider smile this time, he simply said, "I honestly don't know. I know it's a little too soon to say this, but there's something about that kid." He watched as Demyx frowned, but kept his own smile. "It's kind of silly, but...I think, maybe, I actually..._like_ him."

That's all that was said before Axel walked out the door, leaving Demyx on his own.

Demyx knew he should've been happy for his friend.

For as long as they had known each other, Demyx knew that Axel wasn't the type to open his heart to anyone. He talked to people, and he made friends. He even made out with a couple of people. But after all these years, because of a certain blond boy, the redhead might actually open up his heart again and let someone inside.

And thinking that Roxas might be that person, Demyx couldn't help but feel uneasy.

Demyx knew he should've been happy for his friend.

But he wasn't.

---

Roxas looked at himself up and down in the mirror. He was wearing a long-sleeved black and white checkered button-up, a plain red scarf around his neck, faded black jeans that had a tear on the left knee, a white belt with a silver crown-shaped buckle, and white cowboy boots. And no, that is not a typo. It was true. Roxas was wearing _cowboy _boots. And why exactly was he doing that?

"The Penpal Club is having a fundraiser event this Friday. It's a Western country theme. They're going to open up a little petting zoo with lots of games and stuff. There's gonna be a ton of people and cute little animals and lots of delicious food too. And Aerith said that the club members, their penpals, and the volunteers get free meals! Isn't that great, Roxas?"

That's right; Roxas did it for _free food_. And why was he doing that, you say? The answer was simply because Sora's mother was away (again) because of yet another argument, and their father was cooking. Enough said. Their father was probably the worst cook in the _city_. The brothers both agreed that they would rather eat rat poison. They both tasted the same anyways, except the rat poison would probably kill you faster.

"Are you ready yet, Roxas?" the blond heard his brother call from the room next door.

"Ready to die? Yeah," Roxas mumbled dully. He stepped out of his room to meet the other two.

"You look wonderful, Roxas," a blonde girl said sweetly.

"Thanks. You do too, Naminé," he replied reflexively.

Naminé was wearing a small white cowboy (or girl) hat, a sleeveless white and sky-blue plaited button-up that was tied in the front just low enough to cover her naval, a sleeveless white jean jacket over the button-up, a matching white jean mini skirt, and white zip-up cowboy (or girl) boots that had tiny yellow stars dangling off the zippers.

"Hey, hey! What about me?"

The two turned to find Sora striking a "sexy" pose. He wore a black cowboy hat, a long-sleeved navy blue and white plaited button-up with a sleeveless black jean jacket over it, faded blue jeans that had a few torn holes here and there, and black cowboy boots.

"You look very handsome, Sora," Naminé giggled. Sora returned her smile with a satisfied grin of his own.

"Well, let's get going. Don't want to be late now, do we?" Roxas said sarcastically as he headed towards the stairs with the other two behind him.

---

Ever since the seventh grade, Sora and Naminé have been "drawing buddies". Yes, it's true. Sora was an artist, and a damn good one at that. But it wasn't something he much wanted to share with the world. It was just something he simply did because he loved it. And it was like his little secret—his only secret.

But then he shared that secret when he met _her. _Sora first met Naminé at a junior artist festival in Destiny. On a visit to see one of her relatives, Naminé had stumbled upon the festival. Her parents were shopping in the stores nearby, so they didn't mind her wandering around as long as she had her cellphone with her.

A collision that left the two tumbling to the ground was what caused their first meeting. After many apologies, the two introduced themselves and began to talk. And from that, a beautiful friendship bloomed. It was just a lucky coincidence that the same two ended up being penpals. Not that it mattered. They wrote, called, and emailed each other without the help of the club anyways. He told her his secrets, and she told him hers. She was someone that he confided in. And when Roxas wasn't there, she was. She was always there when he needed her.

Sora had planned to keep Naminé and his art a secret. No one really needed to know anyways, right? It's not like anyone really cared.

But then those other secrets came out too—Kairi's secret…and Riku's secret as well. Sora couldn't handle what those secrets had done. And so, he told Roxas everything. He didn't want his secrets to somehow hurt anyone else he cared about. But it wasn't like it was something big to anyone else, just Sora.

Naminé was his, but now he was sharing her with the world.

---

"I'm glad we're friends, Roxas," the blonde girl admitted. "Sora always talks about you."

He let out a small laugh. "Good things, I hope."

"Roxas, Naminé!"

The two turned to find their lovable brunet running towards them. He had a few slips of paper in his hands. When he reached them, he gave each of them one. "I already signed us in with Aerith," he reported. "These are the jobs that she assigned us." All three of them had a small, folded piece of paper with their names neatly printed on it.

"Mine says, 'face paintings'," she told them.

"Hey, I have the same thing!" Sora smiled at his little slip. "Hurray! I get to work with Naminé!"

"What about you, Roxas?" the girl asked the boy standing next to her.

"'Animal feeding'," he answered.

"Lucky! You get to help feed the animals at the petting zoo!"

"A-animals?" Roxas hesitated. He wasn't much a fan of large creatures.

"Oh, don't worry. I'm sure they don't have _those _here. Most of the animals are supposed to be small. Plus, all of them are locked in pens," Naminé offered for comfort.

"Right…" Roxas nodded slowly. Sora had apparently told her about _that_ incident_._ "Um…so, I'll meet you guys back here at six-thirty?"

Naminé glanced at her watch. It was four o' clock. "Yeah, let—Hey, Sora!"

"Come on, Naminé!" Sora cheered happily as he dragged the girl away at full speed. A wide smile was placed across his face. Roxas laughed and shook his head. It'd been a while since Sora last smiled like that. It was nice to see it again, and Roxas hope he'd see it a lot more often. Besides, a sad Sora wasn't as much fun as a happy Sora.

---

"Hurray! Thank you, Mr. Cowboy!"

Sora waved goodbye to a little girl in a pink dress. She skipped away with a smiling Moogle on her cheek. He heard a muffled giggle beside him. He turned to find that it came from Naminé.

"What?" he asked her.

She shook her head. "It's nothing," she said with a smile.

Their table was small, messy, and white. Well, it used to be white before they started painting half an hour ago. Now it was littered with rainbow colors and used brushes. Around them, many people wandered about. There were small children with their parents, and teenagers hanging out. There were other tables with foods and games. And out of all the people it could have been, _he _just happened to be the one that appeared from the crowd.

"Riku?" Sora gave him a surprised look. This was the first time they'd spoken since Riku's 'confession'. Most of the time, they'd been avoiding one another. While other times when they ran into each other by accident, they wouldn't say a thing and just walk on by. Yes, after ten years of friendship, that was quite awkward. The two even sometimes forgot that they weren't speaking to each other. And living just a few houses down didn't help much either.

"Hey, have you seen Roxas? I just checked with Aerith to see who's supposed to be working with me at the petting zoo, and Roxas was one of them."

"Huh? What do you mean? Isn't he there?"

"I've been there for an hour now. Aerith told me that he signed in half an hour ago, but I haven't seen him at all."

"Wow," Naminé's face showed concern. "It's not like Roxas to leave like that. Do you think something happened?" The three exchanged worried glances, and in the next second, the face painting table was abandoned.

---

"Riku, Riku!"

"Demyx, what's wrong?"

The three ended up at the petting zoo. Roxas was still nowhere in sight, but Demyx and Rikku were there. The blonde girl was happily feeding the rabbits with a few small children, but her penpal seemed a little more panicked.

"Bad news," he announced. "I just counted all the animals on the list, and one of them is missing!"

"What? Are you kidding me?"

Demyx sadly shook his head.

---

In the back of the school, just outside of the blitzball field, Roxas ran as if his life depended on it, because well, his life _did_. Unfortunately, he hit a dead-end. A wall and a large beast trapped him in. Horrified blue eyes turned to stare into the eyes of death. He never imagined a demon of hell to look like this. No, this beast was much more horrible. Its eyes were piercingly sharp and its claws could cut like knives. That deadly pointy beak was made for stabbing into flesh, and my gods! The worst part was those ugly, disgusting… fluffy yellow feathers?

Roxas glared at it as he tried to endure the stinging in the back of his leg. Just above his ankle was a stream of blood, pouring from a large cut under his ripped jeans. The same crimson blood was smeared over the beast's beak. It had gotten a taste of Roxas, and apparently decided that he was quite delicious.

Between a wall and this hungry beast—what was poor Roxas to do?

---

"Uh-oh…"

"Naminé? What's—" Sora didn't need to finish his sentence. His eyes followed to where hers were staring at. In one of the petting zoo's pen, there was a flock of _fluffy, yellow _creatures. "Oh my god… Demyx?"

"Huh? What's going on, Sora?" Riku asked his friend, but the brunet ignored him.

"Demyx, which of one of the animals got loose?"

"Uh, well…it was a—"

---

Roxas slid down to the ground and backed as far into the wall as he could. His eyes widened with fear with every step the beast took. It glared at him with its beastly eyes.

"KWAAAH!" it called as it suddenly charged forward.

The blond couldn't think of anything else to do, so he quickly shut his eyes and raised his arms in front of him. He knew he should have called for help. He should have screamed. He should have done _something. _But he couldn't. All that came out of his trembling lips was: "Ch…Ch-_CHOCOBOOOOO!!!"_

---

"_Wow! What are those?" a young Sora asked, pointing a tiny finger at a flock of feathery yellow birds._

"_Those are Chocobos," a woman explained to him._

"_Don't get too close to them, okay boys?" a man warned them. "It's mating season, and they can get a little vicious around this time of year."_

"_We'll be inside now. Be good," the woman told them just as she and the man turned to leave._

_A young Roxas smiled at his brother. He pulled a small, bouncy, blue ball from his pocket. "You wanna play catch?" he asked._

"_Sure!" Sora agreed._

_The two boys stood about twenty feet apart in the open field beside the Chocobo pen. They threw the blue ball back and forth to each other. Sora threw it once too hard, making it fly over the blonde's head. It bounced behind him and rolled away._

_Little Roxas followed to get it. His eyes were focused on the blue ball. It wasn't until it was in his tiny hands that he looked up and found a fluffy yellow bird standing in front of him. He swore he saw the Chocobo smirk right before it lunged forward._

---

"Are you lying? It really tried to _rape _him?" Riku asked, completely stunned.

"No wonder he's afraid of them. I would be traumatized too if I got attacked by one of those things!" Demyx added.

"Yeah, so that's why we gotta find him! I don't know why, but Chocobos _really _like him, and it's not a pretty thing," Sora told them.

Naminé nodded. "Let's hurry."

---

The beast shrieked as it brought its beak down. Roxas had barely enough time to dodge it. He watched as the bird shook its head. Its beak had gone down hard into the ground, making a hole the size of a fist. And to think, if Roxas hadn't dodged that attack, a fist-sized hole would be in _him._

As the Chocobo recovered from its last blow, the blond made a run for it. It took the large bird a moment or so to realize that its prey was getting away, so that gave Roxas a little more time to find some help. But no one was there. Everyone else was at fundraiser event, leaving poor little Roxas on his own.

He damned the school for having so many dead-ends, because that's exactly what he ran into.

"Shit! _Another_ one?" he hissed angrily. But of course, it wasn't the school's fault. Roxas just had a really bad sense of direction. Blue eyes turned around to face the beast. His eyes began to water. "Great. So this is how it ends? I get pecked to death by a stupid bird…" The tears began to fall and he didn't bother to wipe them away.

The Chocobo slowed its speed as it caught up to him once more. Its eyes stared at him, and it looked at nothing else.

Roxas was scared. He backed into the wall and covered his mouth with his hands. He was too tired to run anymore. He barely had the energy to stand. With his eyes shut tight, he waited for the bird's final attack. There was nothing else he could do.

But then a moment passed.

And then another.

And another.

And an—

Hey, hold on!

Why wasn't he dead yet?

Or maybe he already was?

Shouldn't it have hurt more?

"Roxas? Is that you?"

Huh? Wait a minute—that wasn't one of his questions!

Blue eyes slowly opened. His vision was blurry through salty tears, but Roxas was easily able to make out the figure that had fiery red hair.

"Axel…?"

Roxas blinked a few times and raised his hands to wipe away the tears. When his eyes cleared, he found a tall, skinny man standing in front of him. The man wore a black cowboy hat, a red and white plaited button-up, faded black jeans, black boots, and a black scarf around his neck. A rope was in his hand, leading to a lassoed Chocobo.

"What…What are you doing here?" the blond asked.

"Demyx invited me," he explained. "He told me he was sick of me always sitting around doing nothing. Since the penpal thing stopped, I don't really have much to do anymore…"

"Oh…"

An awkward aura surrounded them, and Roxas couldn't help but feel slightly guilty. He'd been ignoring the man for three weeks now without even hearing the other's side of the story. But it's not like Axel really could say anything. He was asleep one of the times. It wasn't like he _knew _that he licked him then. But the other time Axel knew what he was getting himself into when he stole that kiss. Though, Roxas secretly couldn't stop thinking about it and wondering what it would feel like if Axel had used his tongue like Riku did, and shoved—

But was Roxas willing to tell him that?

Hell no. Especially considering, even as weird as it sounded, Roxas actually liked being so close to Axel. A thought that made the blond want to crawl into a hole and die… He'd never admit that, not even to himself.

"Kwah!"

Though Roxas hated that damn bird, he had to thank it for breaking the silence between them.

"Hey, calm down, you!" Axel demanded as he gripped the rope tighter.

"Kwah, kwah!" it went on, flapping it's large wings. Its eyes were still focused on the blond.

Axel noticed this. "Huh? What's that? Do you like Roxy-poo, Chobi?" He laughed as the bird nodded its head. Compared next to Axel, the large bird was a good two feet shorter than redhead. "Well, too bad. You can't have him."

"Kwah!" it called angrily. It dove and attempted to peck at the hand Axel used to hold the rope, but it was caught just in time.

"Hey, watch it! Are you trying to kill me?"

It nodded again, and the redhead laughed once more.

"Wow, you're really good with animals, huh?" Roxas complimented. His face sported a tired frown.

"Not really," Axel smiled. And then his lips curved into a frown of his own. "Hey! Did Chobi do this?" He kneeled down to take a closer look at Roxas's leg. It was trailing a line of blood.

"Oh, it's nothing," he lied.

"Sit down."

"What?"

"I said, sit down," the redhead repeated.

"Why? I told you, it's nothing. I'm _okay._"

"Don't argue with me, Roxas. Just sit down."

Sky colored orbs stared down into concerned emerald ones. Mixed with tiredness and guilt, Roxas gave in and sat down on the ground.

Axel pulled the leg of the jeans up as gently as possible, revealing a blood-covered leg. The cut was the size of his long, bony index figure. He took the black scarf from his neck and began to carefully wrap it around the cut. "It should help with the bleeding for now. I think Aerith has a first aid kit with her. We'll get some real bandages there."

"Thanks…I'll give it back to you after I—" In the next moment, Roxas was literally swept off his feet. A small squeal escaped the blonde's lips and a blush crept onto his cheeks. He grabbed the closest thing to him, which just so happened to be Axel's neck. "Axel! What are you doing? Put me down!" The redhead had picked the boy up in that bride-groom kind of way.

"But you shouldn't walk on that leg. Doesn't it hurt?" Axel asked innocently.

It did, but Roxas wouldn't say that now. What kind of man was he? Well, this position wasn't very manly either actually…

"Kwah?"

They both turned to Chobi beside them.

Axel glared at it. "There's no way I'm letting _you _carry him. It's _your _fault that he's hurt in the first place, Chobi, you bad birdie, you!"

If Chocobos had lips, this would've been a good time to have them. Chobi wanted to pout. Was it _his_ fault Roxas was so delicious? And to think that he thought Axel would've agreed with him too! Boo-hoo…

And so, they headed back to the petting zoo. And all the while, Roxas fought back the urge to burst out in tears. He wanted to cry, and not because his leg hurt, but because he was still so scared. Axel could feel him slightly trembling in his arms. At that time, just before the redhead had rescued him, Roxas honestly thought he was going to die.

Just like the first time…

---

"_So…So…Soraaa…!"_

_A small boy cried as he wiped the heavy tears away with the back of his hands. One of them was lightly cut and dripping a small stream of blood._

"_Sora? That's not my name! Is it yours?"_

_An older boy stood in front of the crying child. He pulled a black scarf that was worn around his neck, and took the bleeding hand into his own. With a smile, he said, "My name's Akuseru Akamichi. Got it memorized?"_

"_Act…Ackku sells me cheese…" the smaller boy tried through muffled sobs._

"_I 'sell you cheese?'" The other simply laughed. "Try saying 'Axel' instead."_

"_Ark…ark shells," the boy tried once more._

_The older boy laughed again. "Close enough." He carefully wrapped the black scarf around the wounded hand and then turned to the bird beside him. A rope was lassoed over its neck. He took the other end and led the bird away. But just before he left, he turned back and smiled at the smaller boy. "See ya, Sora!" He waved a goodbye and continued to walk on._

"_Huh?" The tears were no longer there. Just a confused expression remained. "My name's not Sora…"_

---

"Thank you, everyone! We raised a lot of munny today." Aerith stood on a small stage with a microphone in hand. The crowd had disappeared and only club members and volunteers were left. "If you'd like, you can leave now. But for those of you that decide to stay, we'll be having a picnic! There's free pizza, sandwiches, ice cream, and some cake! Please eat and enjoy yourselves!"

Under a tree, Roxas and his friends were doing just that. There was Naminé and Sora, Rikku and Demyx, Kairi and her penpal Yuffie, and even Riku was there. His penpal was unable to make it, but sent his best wishes.

And of course, Axel was sitting there too.

"It's still staring at me," Roxas told him.

"No it isn't. You're just imagining things," Axel replied with a smirk. He found it quite amusing, and it was even _better _because Roxas was holding onto him. Axel would've squealed with happiness if he wasn't out in public. He then decided that he'd go to the men's room and squeal in there, but then someone spoke.

"So…does that mean you guys are friends again? Roxas said he quit the club because of something Axel did." The two turned to find Sora staring at them. Realizing that they were _way _to close to each other, Roxas slid a little to the side and Axel cried internally as he silently cursed Sora to hell.

"Uh…I'm not sure," Axel answered then glanced at his ex-penpal. "Are we cool?" His eyes were hopeful.

Now let's see… He just _saved _Roxas's **life**__from a vicious _Chocobo!___Did Axel deserve to be forgiven for that?

"No."

The redhead frowned. He didn't know why he was so surprised. That was _always _Roxas's answer.

"What did Axel do anyways?" Rikku asked.

Before Roxas could explain (more like _**lie**_), Axel beat him to it…with the Cold. Bloody. **Truth.**

"I kissed him and he got mad at me for it," he answered more casually than everyone else believed was right.

"_WHAT?!_" everyone besides Demyx, Axel, and Roxas shouted. Demyx didn't look all too surprised, Axel was sucking on a popsicle he got out of nowhere, and Roxas was busy smacking Axel upside the head.

Axel nearly fell forward and ended up choking on his popsicle. He quickly pulled the stick out of his mouth and sent a glare the blonde's way. "Like, _ouch?_" The redhead pouted as he rubbed the spot where Roxas had hit him.

"Oh my god, so it's _true?_" Kairi asked. If it was just a joke, the blond wouldn't have looked so serious, Kairi's mind reasoned.

"Amazing," Naminé added with a voice filled with awe. "Sora told me his _best friend_ was gay, but I never thought his own _brother _would be too."

"What? No! I'm not—" Roxas tried to explain himself.

"Roxas? You're…you're _gay?_" Sora looked like he was about to cry.

"_No!_ I am _not_ gay!"

"It's okay if you are, Roxas," Riku offered.

"But I'm _not! _Honestly!"

"Pfft! Just because _you _are? Don't encourage him, Riku!" Sora glared at his uh…best friend? Were they even simply _friends_ anymore?

The subject had changed from Roxas and being gay to Riku and Sora.

"Hey, at least I'm trying to support him. Unlike _you, _Sora! You're such a homophobe." He rolled his aquamarine eyes.

"I am _not_ a homophobe!" Sora denied.

"Are you just saying that?" Riku glared back at him. "Do you even _know_ what that is?"

"Are you calling me _stupid?_" Sora's voice became louder, and the people around them began to stare.

Roxas and the others watched in horror as Riku and Sora continued on with their argument. Seeing them fight was such a scary thing. It just wasn't a common thing to see these two good friends shout at each other like this.

"Maybe I am! What are you gonna do about it?Just because I'm gay, doesn't mean I'm not manlier than you are, Sora. I could beat you to the ground."

"You wanna bet?" Sora jumped to his feet. Riku did the same, and they both just stood there and glared at each other.

"Riku, Sora! Would you two just shut up? You're embarrassing us!" Yuffie commanded.

Instead of sitting back down like civilized, mature teenagers, they gave each other one last angry glare and walked off in opposite directions. Kairi followed after Riku while Naminé did her part in going after Sora. Yuffie took a second, then sighed and decided to follow after Kairi. Rikku frowned and went after Sora, who she was closer with when it came between the brunet and Riku.

And as for Demyx…He didn't say a word as he turned to Axel and Roxas. The two were glaring at each other just as Sora and Riku were. And as badly as the musician wanted to stay, he thought it best that he left too. And so, he followed after Rikku.

Roxas glanced over at the man beside him after everyone had left. "This is all_ your_ fault. You know that, right?" he said softly so that only the two of them could hear.

Axel's lips were shaped into a frown and his eyebrows furrowed in irritation. "You deserved it. After I saved your fuckin' life, you don't even consider me as a _friend_." He turned his head so that he was facing the other picnickers.

"Well, when Sora asked if we were friends, why did you ask _me _for? You could've just said yes yourself," the blond pointed out. He too, turned away so that he didn't have to look at the other.

"Yeah, but…" Axel sighed and turned to the sky. The sun was beginning to set and it was almost time to leave. "I wanted _you _to say that we were friends, Roxas."

The blond blushed at that comment and his expression softened. He turned back to Axel and his thoughts ran wild. It was so stupid. Why did he need Roxas to say it for? He could have just said it himself. Axel was a big boy, wasn't he? It was just… such a silly thing to be angry over. It didn't matter who said it, did it?

Or maybe it only mattered to _Axel._

"Hey, Roxas?" Axel began after a few moments of silence. "I know you're still mad that I kissed you but—"

"It was never about the kiss."

"What?" The man turned to face the boy. He hadn't expected that very sentence to ever be spoken.

Roxas shook his head. "It wasn't about the kiss. It was…I mean…" There was hesitation in his voice. Now that he thought about it, he wasn't all that sure why he was so angry at Axel. He just…was.

"It's okay. You don't have to tell me," Axel murmured.

"No, I…I _want _to tell you," he insisted. "But…I'm not really sure what it is I want to say."

"What do you mean?"

"I guess…I guess I was just mad because I was scared."

"Scared of me?"

"No. Well, maybe…" Roxas sighed. "When…when you kissed me, and when you…touched me…it got my head all mixed up. Before you asked me if I had something against gay people, I was pretty damn sure that I was straight. But then…_you _came along and… And now everything's all mixed up and it scares me. I'm confused and scared and-and I…I…"

Roxas shivered. Something cold was gracing his warm lips. It was a popsicle—from Axel. He hesitantly took it from the other and tried not to look even more confusedthan he was feeling.

"Sounds to me like someone's turning G.A.Y.," the redhead chuckled. "You're just confused because you're just realizing it and it's a big change for you. It's okay. Don't think too much about it. Just do whatever you feel is right, okay?" He flashed the blond a smile just before he popped his own popsicle into his mouth.

"But…I'm confused. I don't _know _what feels right," Roxas went on.

"I could help you with that," Axel smirked.

With a blush on his face, the blond stuck the cold stick in his mouth and turned his back to the man.

"Aw, Roxy-kins, don't be like that," the redhead teased. "I promise I'll be nice. I won't even tell Sora or anyone else that you actually _are _gay. Though, I'd really like to see their faces when they find out, especially Sora's. He looked like he was about to burst into tears back there."

Roxas turned back around and shot him a glare. His eyes sent the message, _'Don't you dare go anywhere near my brother!'_

Axel put on a lazy smile and then leaned forward to grab the blonde's shoulder. Roxas pulled his head away, but not quick enough before Axel pecked a small kiss on his forehead. He pulled away and looked at the blond straight in the eyes. "Don't be mad. I was just joking. I really would like for us to be friends, Roxas," he told him. "And if you ever need me, I'll stop whatever it is I'm doing and come for you."

The blond pouted and fought hard to keep off another blush. He'd just told the man—that kissed him, touched him, _licked _him—that he thought he was turning gay. And the world didn't end…

"Thanks, Axel. I'd like for us to be friends too."

…yet.

---

That night, Roxas crept out of his bedroom and sat in the dark at the top of the stairs. He had heard the door opening and found that Sora's mother had returned. Their father was still awake in the living room with the thought that his two sons were sleeping. But what kind of teenager sleeps at nine on a Friday night? Well, Sora apparently.

The teenager knew they were going to argue again, and he knew that he shouldn't have been listening. But a big part of him wanted to because every argument always seemed to lead back to the same subject—_her._

There was a sound of a smack.

Roxas was glad that it didn't come from a hand. The pair rarely ever used violence, but there were times when things got way too out of control.

"What are these?" he heard his father ask.

"They're papers," the woman answered.

"Well, I can see that, but…"

"It's a divorce form."

"_Divorce?"_

The blond stared blankly into nothingness, unbelieving what he had just heard.

"A divorce? Lynn, we've had so many fights before, but we've always been able to work them out. And this one's no different. We can—"

"No, that's the thing," she interrupted. "Every time, it's the _same thing. _And frankly, I'm sick of it, Aaron. I'm sick of all our silly arguments and I'm sick of always going through this."

"But Lynn—"

"No, Aaron. Let me continue. I love you. I truly and sincerely love you. But no matter how hard we try, this marriage just won't work out. And we've learned that the hard way, haven't we?"

There was a pause of silence, and then she went on.

"Sometimes…I wonder if you should have gone with _her._"

"But _you _needed me more, Lynn."

"But did you _love _me more, Aaron?"

Another silence filled the empty spaces between the thumping of Roxas's heartbeat.

"Honestly…I think that if Roxas wasn't in the picture—"

"Lynn, don't say that. This has nothing to do with the boy. He's innocent."

"I know," she said calmly. "But if _she _wasn't pregnant with him, I would've been so much more at peace. But she was and she had _him._ And I can't help it. Every time I look at his face, I see _her, _and I can't stand it, Aaron. I get so angry and jealous, and I remember how you both stabbed me in the back."

"…I'm sorry," was all Roxas could hear his father say.

"And so am I," she went on. "There's second part to this, Aaron."

There was the dramatic silence.

"I also want custody."

"Custody? Of what?" the man asked. His voiced hinted that he was afraid to know the answer but was sure that he already knew.

"I'm going to move to Traverse Town with my brother, and I'm taking Sora with me."

Then everything just stopped. Because right then, Roxas just realized that something was even more horribly wrong.

A glass cup frightened him as it fell beside him and rolled down the stair steps. Blue eyes quickly shot behind him, and there he was. Sora stood frozen in place. Even his hand froze where he had been holding the glass. His normally bright eyes were wide with shock and his lips were curved into an unfamiliar frown.

"Oh my god…Sora…"

Their father knew.

Roxas knew.

And worst of all, Sora knew.

Right then and there, Roxas was pretty damn sure that the world just ended.

---

**Kiki: **MY DOG SNORES WHEN HE SLEEPS! (laugh) I had to resist the urge to make Riku and Sora jump at each other and start making out at the arguing scene (but that's only my strange urges. I never said that they were gonna end up together). And I had to stop myself from making Axel rape Roxas out of nowhere too. Not yet. Be patient Axel and my little readers. I wanted to make Roxas jump at Axel and kiss him for no reason too (giggles). And then out of nowhere, that divorce and custody of Sora pops up. Something's wrong with me… D:

Well, crazy threats to shoot Sora's eyes aren't doing me much, so let's just say we make a deal, okay? (releases Sora)

**Sora: **(runs away) AHH! I'M FREE! FREEEEE!!!

**Kiki: **For the last chapter, I got 13 reviews. So for me to update, I want 14. That's all I want. Easy, right? It's not that big of a number. I know you guys can do it (smiles).

And just for the record, I _like _Chocobos. I think those little balls of fluff are adorable (heart). But I think it's funny to make them sound rabid. And isn't it oh-so adorable that they love Roxas enough to rape/eat him? No wonder Axel and the Chocobos get along so well. Mm…I'd like to watch Axel eat Roxas too… (laughs)

Anyways, I'd really like it if you guys could help me out a little. Please? I wanna know what parts you liked and ones you didn't. Well, thanks everyone! I'll try to get the next chapter up a little faster. School starts in only 3 weeks! Gaspers, it's _way _too early. I've rotted away most of my summer in summer school! Oh! And don't forget to guess who Sora's "mystery lover" is (laughs). It's so obvious knowing me. I _am _obvious, but never understand the obvious. It's weird that way. Anyways, I left oodles of hints in the first few chapters.

**Julie: ***snores* Wha? What? It's my turn already?! Man Kiki-chan you didn't have to write so much right after I get back from my exhausting vacation (laughs) not that it's a bad thing to write a lot (smile).

**Kiki: **(laugh) Sorry! I'm glad you're back though! (big smile)

**Preview: **What? This is insane! I don't want to move to Traverse Town. All my friends are right here in Destiny. Sure, Riku and I have been fighting a lot lately, but I guess he is still my friend…sort of. And what about Dad and Roxas? I can't leave them! No, I don't _want _to leave them. Speaking of which…where did Roxas leave off too? I woke up this morning and he wasn't in his bed. All I found was this note on his bed saying that he was sorry. Sorry for _what? _Argh, Roxas! Where are you when I need you the most?


	9. In that Picture

**Kiki: **Hey everyone! Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed! I am soooooo sorry that this is soooooo late. But this is better than waiting for those stories that take a YEAR to update, right? (nervous smile) So anyways, here's another chapter!

But first, to answer _naoko144_'s question _"__Does he (Roxas) remember Axel? From before or it was just to 'highlight' it all, the incident?__"_

The whole bit about Roxas getting attacked by a Chocobo and Axel saving him when they were little is part of the story. And no, neither of them remember, at least, not yet. It'll be explained later, but don't worry too much about it now. I have a special spot I'll explain that in.

Well, in other news, no one's guessed who Sora's mystery partner is! I'm really surprised (laugh). Maybe it's someone you guys might least expect? Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! The first half continues off from the last chapter, but the second half has AkuRoku! Really, it does! I'm telling the truth this time! Okay…maybe I'm lying a little bit…

**Julie:** Those who had the chance to view the sneak peak, you're gonna find that some stuff changed, ok? But, don't worry you'll still understand. I'm extremely lazy right now and I don't even know what to write anymore (laugh).

_Disclaimer, Warning, Pairings: _See previous chapters.  
_Want a sneak peak?: _Check the edited Author's note in the chapter _'Any Other Way'_.

**Kiki: **In advance, I apologize for the large amount of curse words. I just felt like cussing a lot (laugh). Enjoy!

**Julie:** Yes! Curse words! (cough) I didn't say anything…

---

**Love Letters****  
**by KikiKitsune

'_Chapter 8: In that Picture'_

---

Today was a good day. Despite a few minor incidents, Sora had plenty of fun. He got to spend the day with one of his closest friends who also happened to be his penpal. He made dozens of children happy by painting their faces and he was relieved to know that his brother _wasn't _gay.

Cough.

Even arguing with Riku and worrying about his brother getting raped by an oversized bird didn't bring the bouncy teenager down. Roxas was saved and his cut wasn't anything serious. And sure, he hated that he and his best friend were fighting, but what was he to do?

Riku was gay, and not just that. He was gay for _Sora_. Some might think he's cruel and just say, "Give him a chance." But couldn't they see _why _that was so hard for the brunet? Didn't anyone _understand_ whyhe was so angry? The friendship that the two boys put together was supposed to last an eternity, but that was all flushed away when Riku crossed that line between friends and more than just friends. Didn't they see? The hurt, the disappointment, the betrayal—it was all there in those shining sky colored eyes. How could Sora _not _be angry? Their friendship meant more to the brunet than water meant to fish. But it was like Riku just tossed it aside like it was nothing and left poor Sora to suffocate.

Yes, he was angry, but more than that…Sora was _hurt. _It felt like Riku just slapped him across the face and started laughing. In his mind, it was like Riku didn't care. He didn't give a _damn_ about what he was putting Sora through.

And apparently, neither did Sora's parents.

That's when this good day turned bad.

---

"No."

"But, Sora—"

"I _said, _no!"

"But—"

"No, no, _no_! I absolutely _refuse!_"

Sora, his mother, Roxas, and their father all sat in the living room of the Hikari household. After Sora had dropped his glass and exposed the two eavesdropping boys, their parents had decided that they might as well talk about it. Together.

Well, all but Roxas anyways. He merely sat there with wide eyes and listened to Sora, for the first time ever, go against his parents.

"How could you even _ask _me to do that, Mom?" The brunet turned to his father. "Dad, say something! Are you just gonna sit there and do nothing?"

The man let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, Sora…but I agree with your mother."

"_What? _But, Dad—"

"Hush and listen to me for a minute, will you?" the man interrupted. "I know that divorce is hard on any family, but…your mother and I think that this is for the better—for our future."

"'_Our' _future?" Sora went on. "You're not doing this for _'our' _future. This is between you and Mom. Why do Roxas and I have to get sucked into _your _problems?"

"Sora!" his mother shot. "Don't speak to your father in that tone."

The angry teenager stuck his lower lip out and crossed his arms. He leaned back into his seat and refused to look at either parent.

"I know that things are going to change, but it's not like you boys won't be able to see each other," their father tried.

"But what about my _friends?_" Sora asked with sad eyes. "We've lived here ever since I was born. They were the friends I grew up with. They're my _only _friends, Dad."

"You'll make new ones," his mother promised.

Upset blue eyes turned to her. "But I don't _want _new friends. I like the ones I have right now."

"It's only another city away, Sora," his mother continued. "You won't be able to see them _every _day, but it's not like you won't be able to see them at all. You're acting like we're moving on the other side of the _world._"

"We might as well be…" Sora mumbled. He was oddly pessimistic, but who could blame him in a situation like this?

"You can visit them every weekend, honey," his mother tried again. "And Roxas can call you if anything exciting happens while you're away."

"But I don't understand why Ican't stay too. I'll be with Dad, and it's like you said; it's just one city away so you can come visit us anytime," Sora reasoned.

Her face showed hurt. She knew her son didn't mean it in a cruel way, but it still hurt to think that her own son didn't want to live with her. "Your father has to work most of the time, Sora. He won't have time to care of both you and Roxas," she countered.

"Then we'll take care of ourselves! Right, Roxas?" he turned hopefully towards his brother.

"Uh...yeah," the blond nodded hesitantly. "Sora and I aren't kids anymore. We don't need Dad to watch us _all_ the time."

The woman shook her head. "I know you both are good boys but as parents, your father and I can't help but worry about so many things. Like, who's going to tell you how to eat right, or to do your homework, your chores, go to bed _before _two o' clock in the morning?"

Sora rolled his eyes. "We only did that _once._"

"Your math is horrible, Sora," his father told his son. "Haven't you learned how to count yet? What have you been going to school for?"

The brunet stuck out his lower lip again. Sora was losing this battle. There was nothing he or Roxas could do to change their parents' minds.

Well…Okay, maybe there was _one _thing

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Sora, his mother, and their father turned to the quiet blond. "Um…Mrs. Hikari—and I'm asking this to _only _her," he shot his brother and father a look before turning back to the woman. "I was wondering…you're moving because I'm here, aren't you?"

Her eyes widened. "Heavens! No, Roxas. Your father and I just have differences. It has nothing to do with you."

"You're wrong," he disagreed calmly. "Those 'differences'…they're about _my _mother, right? So that makes it my problem too, doesn't it?" The others stayed silent. "If I wasn't here, then you and Sora would stay, wouldn't you? And—" he went on. "—answer me honestly. Don't say things just because Sora and Dad are here, and don't try to protect my feelings. Just tell me the truth. You'd stay if I was gone, right?"

Her eyes softened and her lips curved into a frown.

Roxas put on a small smile and stared at his lap. "Sora told me that you and Dad used to fight a lot while my mom was still alive, but it's gotten worse since I moved in, hasn't it," he said more like a statement than a question. "I heard you say it before. When you look at me, you see my mom. I was actually…_happy _to hear that." What little of the smile vanished, and his voice began to crack. "When you…look at me, and see my mom…you can't stand it, can you? That's why you want to move…so you don't have to think about her or the pain she caused you. Isn't that right?"

The woman's frown was replaced with a sad smile. "You're…a very smart boy, Roxas. I bet your mother would've been so proud of you." Her eyes began to water and she covered a hand over her mouth. "Yes," she squeaked as the tears began to fall. "If you weren't here, I'd stay."

The blond boy came to his feet and began to head for the stairs. "Okay, so it's settled."

"Huh? What are you talking about, Rox?" Sora called after him. Three sets of eyes were all on the blond now.

With a forced smile, Roxas turned to the three stunned people in the Hikari household living room. "I'll move out. Mrs. Hikari and Dad won't have to get a divorce, and you won't have to move, Sora. You guys can live in this house like one big happy family—just like you did before I came." He stretched his smile wider. "When there's a problem, you're supposed to get rid of it, right?" He forced a laugh. "Well, I just so happen to be your problem." And with those last words, he turned back around and walked on.

Sora immediately stood up and watched his brother walk up the stairs. Just before he was out of sight, the panic in Sora's mind reached its peak and he began to shout. "Roxas! What are you _talking _about? Where are you gonna _live? _How are you gonna get munny?" Tears began to form in his blue eyes. "And what about _me? _How can you do this to me? Don't you know how happy I was when you moved in? I was _so _happy, Roxas. So how can you just _leave _now?Do you hear me, Roxas? You _can't _leave! You just can't! I won't _let _you!"

---

Roxas sat pressed up against his bedroom door and listened at what was happening on the other side. The door was locked tight. He didn't open it when he heard Sora run up the stairs and bang on it. He didn't move when his only brother screamed his name and cussed him out. He wouldn't even speak when he heard their father pry Sora away from the door. He heard Sora shout words fueled by anger. He heard him tell his parents that he hated them for the first time ever. He heard Sora's mother burst out into tears, and he heard his father trying to comfort her.

But the door still didn't open.

"This is for the best," Roxas told himself. "Sora won't have to move. He won't leave his friends."

That's right. And every time Sora came back home, he wouldn't find that his friends didn't need him anymore or that they've replaced him. Things would always stay the same, and Sora could keep his home.

The blond crawled over to his bed and dug underneath it. In a few seconds, he pulled out his old photo album. Flipping frantically through the pages, he stopped at a particular one. On it was a photograph that was taken at the beach. Four smiling teenagers seemed to be the subject of the picture. He ran a hand slowly across it, envying and wishing how he could be as happy as the people in the pictures.

"Hayner, Pence, Olette…you guys doing okay without me?"

---

In the same house, Sora lied awake, wondering how things could have gone so wrong. Today began so happily, but then everything got screwed up. His friendship with Riku had gotten worse and now Roxas wanted to move out. They were apart most of their lives. Only phone calls and visits every now and then kept them together.

And even though it was the saddest day for Roxas when he moved into the Hikari household, it was the happiest for Sora. But it's not like he didn't cry over Roxas's mother's grave. No, she was like a second mother to him. He loved her just the same. Still, he longed to be with his brother. He wished for years for them to be closer than they already were. And then that wish was granted, though there was a great price to pay for that. Nonetheless, Sora was happy.

But then it was like Roxas just took that happiness away. In a way, Roxas was like another Riku. His brother was taking another precious thing from him. Riku took away their friendship, and Roxas was taking away Sora's most important person—Roxas himself.

When Sora turned Kairi away because he thought that Riku was in love with her, he remembered being so hurt. But through his brother's words, he could smile. At that time, he felt that even if the whole world fell to pieces, he would be okay because his brother was there. But what would happen to Sora now that his brother wouldn't be there anymore?

Was his world going to falling to pieces this time?

It sure as hell felt like it.

---

Sora woke groggily into the early morning. He glanced over to his digital clock. It read: 5:43 AM. He sighed and plopped his head back down onto his pillow. Only a few hours ago did he finally fall asleep. Before that, he had been thinking about everything that had happened and how to deal with it all.

In the end, just before he finally closed his eyes, he decided to no longer speak to his parents until they came to their senses. Yup, he was gonna give them the silent treatment. He also prepared an annoyingly long speech to convince Roxas to stay, because he was clearly out of his mind when he told them that he was going to move out and live on his own. And then somehow, Riku came to his thoughts as well.

What are you to do when your best friend is in love with you, but you know you can't return their feelings? There was no way that Sora would suddenly start liking guys just for Riku. So did that mean he was out of options?

The brunet let out a heavy sigh, hoping it would take some kind of pressure off him. "Riku's such an idiot," Sora told himself. "I feel kind of bad though…Today was the second time we've, like, _ever_ fought. I mean, we've fought about stupid stuff before, but this time's different. It's like…Riku's never gonna be my best friend anymore…"

He sighed once more and tried hard not to think about crying, because crying wasn't manly. It made you look gay, just like Riku and his stupid long, silky, shiny hair. Yeah, that same hair that Sora used to love to play with and mess up. Riku never did mind it when Sora played with his hair, because he could just run a hand through it and it'd fall neatly back into place. That's the way it always was. Sora would mess something up, and Riku would easily fix it for him. Sora had always come to Riku for help, but lately, he had to rely on Naminé or Kairi. It was somewhat difficult, because his other two best friends were girls. They'd give _girl _advice that wasn't really helpful to a _guy_.

So instead, maybe he could ask Roxas, who was yet another guy besides Riku. Yeah, he'd just go to Roxas. Sora wouldn't talk about their parents or moving or any of that. He'd just ask for help about Riku and give the speech to Roxas later on in the day when the sun was actually up. Yes, that's what he'd do. Easy, right? It'd be good to take both their minds off of these family issues anyway.

And with his mind made up, Sora hopped off his bed and headed towards his brother's room. He was pretty sure it'd be okay. If the blond was asleep, Sora knew he wouldn't mind if he woke him up. They did that all the time when one of them wanted to talk. It didn't matter if it was a problem or just for some sort of company. The two were always there for each other.

Well, it used to be that way at least.

When the brunet reached his brother's room, he found that the door was finally open. "Roxas?" he whispered as he quietly stepped in. He slowly crawled towards the bed and into the dark of the room. It wasn't long before he reached the bed and discovered that his brother wasn't there. Instead, on his brother's pillow was a small sheet of paper. Sora picked it up and turned towards Roxas's fish-designed lamp. There was a little light, but not enough so that he could see clearly. And so, he flicked the switch on and examined the paper. There were only two words written messily on it in black ink: _'I'm sorry.'_

"'Sorry?' For what?" Sora whispered to himself. And then the panic rose as realization came to him. With the paper in hand, he headed towards the door while shouting, "Mom! Dad! Roxas's gone! He's run away from home!"

---

Two hours later and in one town away, Axel was lying awake in his bed wondering what he should do today. He was very happy, and a wide smile showed that. He would do something fun today. Yes, something to let out his overload of happiness. And his reason for being happy, you ask? He somehow got Roxas to make up with him and they were friends again. And this time, the two were closer than ever. And hold on a second, because it gets better. Roxas was _gay. _And what could be even _better_ than that? Well, here's your answer. Axel _made _him realize that he was gay. That deserved a double cheer. Maybe now, the blond would let Axel kiss him. And not just a light kiss that could barely be felt, but a nice long kiss with maybe some tongue.

Somewhere in a world where it was okay to be out of character, a happy Axel giggled excessively like the creepy fangirl he was. Well, he was on the inside at least, because everyone would die if he was actually a girl on the outside too.

"Hey, Axel, I'm gonna go to Zexion's. We're gonna practice that new song I wrote," his roommate Demyx announced with a smile in place as he began to change his clothes.

Axel propped himself up with his elbows and returned the smile.

"I still can't believe Rikku actually did that. It's awesome, isn't it? If we do this right, Nobody's Heart might actually make it big!" The dirty blond was now pulling on a pair of black jeans. "And even if we don't win, we'll at least get known, ya'know? If…no, _when _we make it through the audition, we're gonna be playing at Kingdom Hearts. It's like, the most famous concert stadium _ever, _Ax. Someone's bound to discover us."

"That's great, Dem," Axel said. He was honestly happy for his best friend. This was their big chance. The three years were finally going to pay off. "Just don't forget about your friends when you become a famous rockstar, okay?"

"Of course I won't! You're my _best friend, _Ax. I couldn't forget you even if I tried," Demyx said as he pulled a light blue shirt over his head. "So um, I guess you wouldn't want to come, huh?" He gestured towards the bed.

"I'll drop by later," the redhead promised.

The musician put on a smile. "Yeah, okay. I understand. I mean, we couldn't leave him alone."

Axel smiled and turned to the sleeping lump beside him. "Nope, couldn't do that now."

"Well…I guess I'll see ya later then." And with those last words, Demyx pulled on his black boots and headed out the door with his guitar strapped to his back.

The careless slam of the door seemed to have woken the lump beside the redhead. It shifted in place, but immediately went back to sleep without a second thought in mind. It unconsciously inched closer to Axel and snuggled into him before it stopped, using the redhead's shoulder as a pillow. Fangirl Axel in the other world squealed this time.

With his free arm, Axel wrapped it around the lump and pulled it closer. Ever so gently, he tucked the head of golden locks under his chin and began his own little snuggle-fest. He couldn't help but find himself taking in the sweet scent.

'_OMG!' _Axel thought happily, continuing to be out of character and fangirling._ 'OMGOMGOMG! He smells like fuckin' _strawberries! _Strawberries, damn you! I wanna eat him…'_

"Mmnnn…"

Axel came back to earth at the small sound that the other had let out.

'_The hell…? Did he just…_moan?_'_

A blush came into play and the dirty thoughts began. Axel, you pervert, you.

But of course, this author likes torturing our lovely little redhead, so the moan was sadly meant for something else. And within the next second, blue eyes shot open and the redhead found himself screaming from a striking pain in his shoulder.

"OH MY FUCKIN' GOD!" he shouted, springing up to sit. He examined his bare shoulder and found tiny little teeth marks there. "You bit me _again?!_" He glared at the blond who was now awake and rubbing his little eyes of sand. Axel's voice softened as he continued. "You're lucky you're cute, Roxy, or I'd mess you up right now."

Yes, it was Roxas. Who else could turn Axel into an out of character fangirl? And who other than Roxas would actually _bite _the redhead?

A smirk of satisfaction was placed on the blonde's face as he pulled the blanket closer to himself. "It's your fault for getting so close, Axel. I only bite you when you cross my personal bubble."

"Pfft," Axel huffed. "_You're _the one that crossed _my_ 'personal bubble' first, kiddo. You were totally cuddling up to me."

Roxas covered his mouth to shield a yawn. "I don't remember that…"

"That's because you were asleep, genius." The redhead gently lied back down on the bed, careful this time not to cross the blonde's little 'personal bubble'. "Geez, I find you at my door in the middle of the night, give you a place to sleep, and then you _bite _me? You have some serious issues, Rox. You're not supposed to bite people that are nice to you."

The blond laughed. "Hah! _You _are nice? When did that happen?"

Axel frowned. "You're a horrible little boy with no manners at all, Roxy. Maybe I should teach you a thing or two."

"You'd only teach me bad things," Roxas said confidently.

"No, I wouldn't," the man disagreed with a pout. "I mean, you gotta give me _some_ credit. It's not like I jumped you while you were sleeping or anything. I was a good boy, Roxy-kins." He playfully smiled and inched closer to the blond. "A very good boy and good boys deserve rewards, don't they?"

"You didn't look like you up to any good when I woke up," the teenager said with an arched brow.

The frown returned. "But I already explained that. _You _were the one that cuddled up to _me _first. Not the other way around."

"Sure, I did, Axel. Sure I did," Roxas whispered, obviously unbelieving.

The frown deepened. "You suck, Roxas."

The blond snorted. "You only _wish _I sucked."

"Ew!" Axel thought with that dirty mind of his. "You're so nasty, Roxy. I never knew you were such a pervert."

"You only _wish _I was a pervert."

"You are such an ass."

"You only _wish _I was an ass."

The redhead paused. Hmm…Were they playing a game? It sure sounded like it. And Axel was _very _good at games. Yes, he was indeed. Now only to make sure it was really a game.

"You're stupid."

"You only _wish _I was stupid."

Oh, goodies! He's still playing.

"You're so not the gayest boy I've ever met."

"You only _wish _I wasn't the gayest boy you—"

A pause.

A smirk.

A smack.

"Ouch!" Axel rubbed his head. "You're so violent."

Roxas stuck out his tongue. "You only _wish _I was violent. That's why you keep teasing me, even though you know that I'm going to beat you up every time you do, _idiot._"

The redhead stuck out his lower lip into a pout. Roxas was such a meanie! A cute little meanie that looked so damn sexy when he was angry… Shit, his whole body just screamed _'Rape me! Rape me!' _And Axel would just love to.

Okay he was happy again. "So anyways…" the redhead began, changing the subject, "You gonna tell me why you're here in the first place? You fell asleep last night before I could ask you."

The teenager scratched his head of golden locks. "Family issues, that's all. I didn't want to be in the house, but I didn't know where else to go so I came here. You said that if I ever needed someone, you'd be there, didn't you?"

"Something like that," Axel agreed. "But…you should probably call your family or something. I bet they're worried about you."

"I left a note." Blue eyes closed and attempted to fall asleep again.

"Telling them where you were?"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Rox…"

"I told them that I was sorry."

"For what?"

He sighed. "For ruining their perfect little family…It was just Sora, his mom, and our dad. I don't…I just don't _fit _in that picture with them."

"What are you talking about? It's still your father and Sora's still your brother. I bet he's really worried about you, Rox."

The blond stayed silent and thought for a moment. It didn't take long for him to decide what to do. He leaned over the edge of the bed and picked up the cellphone that was on the floor. He turned it on and read what was on the screen. "**18 Missed Calls.**"

"Damn, I guess I really did worry him. 18 Missed Calls," Roxas laughed. "I guess I'll call right now." He pressed the first number on the speed dial and placed the phone to his ear. It barely rung twice before it was picked up.

"_Hello? Is that you, Roxas?"_

"Uh… Hey, Sora. Sorry I missed all your calls. My phone was off."

"_Oh my fuckin' gods—Roxas Hikari, where the hell have you been? I've been calling around for you all _morning!_ I called all our family members. I called everyone at school and your old friends back in Twilight Town. I even went down the street and talked to fuckin' _RIKU, _damn you! And you know how pissed off I am at—"_

That's all Roxas heard before he pulled the phone away from his bleeding ears. My gods, who ever knew Sora could cuss so much? He tended to do so when he was really angry, and that was rarely ever. And to think that his brother said all that in less than fives seconds… Sora spoke fast to begin with.

"Is that _Sora?_" Axel laughed with complete surprise in his voice.

"You wanna talk to him? He's kinda scary when he's angry…" Roxas offered. He honestly didn't want to talk to Sora in this state.

"Sure, this should be fun," the redhead agreed, taking the phone from the smaller boy. He placed it to his ear and found Sora still yelling about some nonsense that no one understood.

"—_and Mom and Dad are sooo gonna kill you when we find you! They're out looking for you right now. Dad even called work and took the day off to look for you! Dammit Roxas! And you almost fuckin' made my mom faint. When she heard about you she started to panic and her blood pressure got all high and I had to run to the store and get her some fuckin' mango-flavored yogurt because that's the only crap that calms her down and—"_

"Whoa there, Sora…Calm _down, _will you?"

Sora stopped for a second. And well, _only_ a second, because it only took him that long to start up again. _"Who the FUCK are _you?_ Where's Roxas?" _he screamed into the receiver.

Axel winced. Damn that kid was loud. "It's Axel, remember me? I kissed your brother and turned him gay," the redhead said with a smile on his face. He was now standing up next to the bed.

"WHAT?!" was what _both _of the brothers said.

"Axel, you asshole! Give me the phone back!" Roxas lunged for it, but the man held it out of reach. He should've known from the start that giving the phone to Axel was definitely _not _a good idea.

Fending the blond off with one hand, he used the other to continue his conversation with the older one of the brothers. "Yeah, that's right. Didn't I tell you that yesterday at the picnic? Ya'know, right before you and your boyfriend started bitching at each other."

Roxas's mouth dropped wide open. "Oh my god, Axel, I can't believe you just _said _that! Gimme the _fuckin'_ phone back," the blond repeated.

From the other line, they could hear Sora shouting his head off. _"Riku is _NOT _my boyfriend! I am not gay and neither is Roxas, so you better leave him the fuck alone or I'll kick your ass, Axel! Do you _HEAR _me?! STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM MY BROTHER YOU CHILD MOLESTER!"_

The redhead laughed. "Ah, this is too much fun," he smiled at his self-made fun. "Oh, and guess what else we did, Sora-puun." Ooh! A new nickname he could add to his list. He took Sora's silence as a too-shocked-for-words kind of thing. "We _slept _together. As in, we slept in the _same _bed." The redhead continued to fend off the small blond with one hand.

Roxas looked like he was having a mental breakdown, and his frantically waving arms showed just how much he was freaking out. The last thing he wanted was for his brother to know that he was no longer straight. Hopefully, Sora would think that Axel was just joking. Yeah, the man was exaggerating anyways. Sure, they did sleep in the same bed, but Axel made it sound like they did _more _than just sleep.

And oh my god, what was Roxas thinking? Sora's completely gullible!

"Axel! Give me the phone or I'll kill you, dammit!"

Ignoring the blond, Axel went on having fun. "Yeah, and not just that, Sora-puun, but we cuddled too. It was fun. Roxas's little body is just so _soft _and he's so _sensitive_. It's wonderful, but my gods! Did you know how rough your brother can get? He gave me a _love-bite, _Sora-puun!"

Ah… Lies, lies, and more lies…

"I bit your _shoulder! _And it was _not_ made from love, damn you, Axel!" Roxas growled.

"But don't worry. It's not like he hurt me or anything. I like it _rough_," the redhead laughed.

Roxas fell back onto the bed and began screaming into the closest pillow he could find. It was obvious that he couldn't win. The long screams of agony came with his pain, and it traveled all around the apartment. Yes, this was a punishment far worse than dying. It was _torture._

"Oh, and Sora? I'll give him back right after Roxas and I have dirty, kinky se—"

Now Axel was just going too far. The blond couldn't take it anymore! And so, he pounced on the man and tackled him to the ground. He thought that Axel's evil reign was finally stopped. But no, the nightmare went on because this authoress found it funny.

---

Sora held the phone to his ear, horror painted all over his face. His hands shook violently as he continued to listen to the other end of the line.

"_Oooh… oooh… keep going… faster…! Harder, dammit… HARDER!"_

"OH MY FUCKIN' GODS! MY BROTHER IS GETTING RAPED BY A GAY MAN!!!" Sora threw the phone in the air, not caring where it landed. While screaming at the top of his lungs, he burst out the front door to search for some sort of help. And the help was for Roxas, mind you. Sora didn't need help.

Or so he likes to think…

---

Axel held his stomach, trying to calm his laughter. Roxas merely glared at him. The two were on the floor, Roxas on top of Axel, and the phone was finally out the redhead's reach. It laid a couple of feet away and the blond couldn't hear any shouting from it. He sighed heavily.

"I don't hear Sora anymore…" he frowned at the man. "I think you killed him, Axel."

"All in a day's work, my little Roxy-kins."

"I hate you."

With a satisfied smile in place, Axel gently pulled the blonde's face closer to him. "I love you too," he whispered, right before he placed his lips on Roxas's.

---

**Kiki: **Okay, so it wasn't _real _AkuRoku, but Sora thought it was (big smile). And _no!_ THEY ARE NOT GOING TOO FAST. They're not in love after only a _month _and _one week_, three of which they didn't even speak to each other. It's like a play kind of thing. I do this with my friends all the time. They tell me that they hate me, and I tell them that I love them (smiles). It's a beautiful kind of friendship (laughs). Well, anyways…I got in _some _plot. And guess what the scary thing is…It's barely even started! Expect more, _a lot _more. Other than that, you might find me being a little mean (plans evil things). I shall make them all cry and make the most horrible crack pairings ever!!! (insert evil villain laugh here) Not really. Sooo…what did you guys think of it? I attempted funny. Was it funny? Even a little? Hmmm? Come on! Sora freaking out and thinking that his brother's getting raped by our lovely little Axel isn't funny to you?!

**Julie: **OMG!! I can't believe you did that! I fucking _cried_!! (wacks you with Sasuke's hit mallet) You big meanie! (cries) How could you be so _heartless_!! (pun not intended) In other news, I really like chicken! (smile) Hey reviewers, is anyone an 8th grader?

**Kiki: **(is hit) Ouchies! I didn't know you still had that thing! (laugh) Cry? Was it that sad? I thought it was pretty funny… (has a sick sense of humor). Woot! I like teh chicken-ness too! (big smile)

**Preview: **OH MY FAWKING GODS!!! I have enough trouble with my own brother getting molested and my best friend being in love with me. But why, oh _why_ do you have to go and make it worse? And who the hell told you that it was okay to make out in my house, Naminé? And with _Kairi _nonetheless? The hell is going on here?

**Kiki: **(laugh) It's seriously not what you think! I did not write yuri. Don't believe me? Just wait and read the next chapter! xD Oh, and I've started school, so I won't be posting much. But I'm sure you guys won't miss me all too much… :)

**Julie:** By the way, the "Sasuke's hit mallet" is an inside joke, sorry. (smile)

**Kiki:** Oh! And we got 14 reviews last time! So get us to 15 for an update, okay? Thanks everyone!


	10. Worth all the Pain

**Kiki: **I'M SO SORRY FOR BEING SO LATE! I know I said I'd post it waaaay sooner, but things happened and yeah… (gives out apology cookies). Anyways, I know there's no excuse, but I hope you'll all forgive me! I'll try to update a little faster next time.

**Julie: **You do have an excuse! And a really good one at that! (head desk) Don't know what to write... again. If you spot some errors in the story/plot, PM us!

_Disclaimer, Warnings, Pairings, Sneakpeak: _See previous chapters.

---

**Love Letters  
**By KikiKitsune

'_Chapter 9: Worth all the Pain'_

---

A new day was just beginning on this slightly breezy autumn morning. Outside, the trees were losing their brown leaves, and the rising sun was half-covered by clouds of white that shadowed the city. There was a soft hum of morning clatter heard beyond closed walls. But from the inside of a quiet room, the intensity of two bodies drowned out any sound that dared to enter. The taller of the two was tending to his reddening cheek. It was a small mark, but still hurt so much. The man's lower lip stuck out into a familiar pout, and his emerald eyes narrowed to complete the expression he wore on his face.

"You didn't have to punch me _that _hard, Roxas," he spat bitterly. He continued to sit crossed-legged on the floor of the room while rubbing his left cheek.

The other shook his right hand which he had used to punch the man with, and returned the glare with his own blue eyes. "I told you that I _might _be gay. And even if I am, I never said anything about being gay for _you, _Axel," Roxas explained. The blond had moved to sit down on the bed.

"What?" Axel frowned. "B-but…I…I thought that you told me because…because you _were _gay for me. Why'd you tell me you thought you were gay, if I wasn't the one you were gay _for?_" The redhead let out a growl of frustration. So much for his plans to have his way with the little blond…

"Because I thought we were friends. Isn't that what friends do? We're supposed to tell each other secrets and junk," Roxas answered. "And hey, I'm really not sure if I am gay or anything. I've never really gone out with anyone before, so I don't really know."

Axel continued to frown from the floor. "What do you mean by 'never really gone out with anyone before'? Are you telling me that you've never had a _single_ girlfriend?" Roxas blushed and silence answered the question better than any spoken words could. At this, the redhead's mouth gaped open with surprise. "Oh my god, you're joking, right? Have you even kissed anyone before? Well…except _me?_"

The blond continued to keep silent and wordlessly answered again.

"Shit, that's _pathetic!_" His eyes widened with shock. "What are you, sixteen? You should've gotten your first real kiss when you were _at least_ fourteen. I had mine when I was eleven!"

"_Okay, _Axel, I get it. I'm pathetic. Just shut up already," Roxas frowned, and then quietly mumbled, "And I'm still fifteen."

"Yes, you're old and pathetic," the redhead nodded with agreement as the blond hardened his glare. He was, indeed, surprised. The tiny boy was so adorable. If the redhead hadn't realized that he might actually have feelings for him, he would've already had his way with the innocent little blond. But here and now, Axel was finding that the same boy hadn't even kissed anyone before Axel had taken that pleasure himself.

"I'm…" The man turned away from his thoughts at the sound of the smaller boy's voice. "I'm not exactly popular at school," he admitted. "I'm nothing like Sora. He makes friends with almost everyone, and a lot of girls have crushes on him. They all think he's so cute and stuff, ya'know? I'm not like that. I'm not cute or cool or popular or…or _anything. _I'm just…_Roxas_."

'_And that's why I like you,' _Axel unknowingly thought to himself. _'You're Roxas, and I like you for you. And…and…'_

"_I _think you're cute."

It was Roxas's turn to be surprised. His sky colored eyes brightened and he could've sworn his heart skipped a beat. Axel thought he was cute? Hey, his face felt hot. Was he blushing?

He immediately shook his head to rid such silly thoughts. "You just wanna get into my pants."

"Nu uh," he heard Axel disagree in a childish tone. The blond turned to him and found that he was pouting again. That didn't last too long though. Axel's lips slowly curved into a sincere smile. "I honestly think you're _very _cute, Roxy. Way cuter than Sora or anyone I've ever met. I bet you're the only one that doesn't think you are. And it's true that I wanna kiss you, and I wanna touch you, Rox…but I'm not gonna _force _you." His smile transformed into a smirk. "You'll fall for me eventually anyways, so it doesn't matter."

Roxas narrowed his eyes. "Someone's got a big head…"

The redhead merely laughed as he sat up. "Come on. It'll take Sora a while to get here. Let's go get some ice cream until then, okay?"

"Why did you do that for anyway? Now Sora knows I'm here with you. I told you that I wanted to stay _away _from him and rest of the family," Roxas wondered. He didn't move from his spot on the bed.

While stripping off his shirt, Axel pulled on a clean plain black one from his closet. "Because you can't keep running away," the man simply answered. "You can't run away from home every time something gets all messed up with your family. You have to sit down with everyone and talk things out. And you've got to find a solution that works for _everyone_, not just you. What you're doing right now is selfish, Roxas. You heard Sora, right? He was worried sick about you."

While trying to ignore the fact that Axel was now taking off his pants, Roxas took in the redhead's surprisingly deep words. "They were…worried about me?" he thought hesitantly. And then he frowned, because he knew the truth. Axel was _right. _Roxas _was _being selfish. He ran away from home because he couldn't stand the way his dad and Sora's mother always argued about him and his own mother. And in doing that, he made his only brother worry. "Man, I hate myself…"

"Hey, get dressed!" Roxas was taken away from his thoughts at the sound of Axel's voice. He had gotten some clothes thrown at him. "Hurry up! You can borrow some of my clothes for right now."

"Huh? Where are we going?"

"To get some ice cream, _duh! _I already said that. Now let's go before I die from lack of sugar!"

Roxas frowned. "How can you eat ice cream on a cold day like this? It's in the middle of autumn!"

"Because it's good and cools my fire," replied the man. Roxas gave him a confused look. "It's like…a replacement. My fire is um…how should I explain this to a virgin like you?" Axel took his hand and began tapping his chin, wondering what the best words to put his thoughts in would be. "Uh…Well, you know when someone doesn't 'get some' for a long time? They either end up just 'doing it' with anyone or turn to something else to distract them, ya'know? For me, it's ice cream. Ice cream is my substitution for sex."

"_What? _Ew, Axel! I didn't wanna know _that!_" Roxas looked horrified, and Axel simply laughed.

"Hey, I'm saying that I'm not a slut that does it with just anyone. That's gotta count for something, right?"

Roxas shrugged. "I guess. So…um…how long have you been…eating ice cream?"

"Translation: When was the last time I had sex?" The blond failed to fight down a blush and Axel laughed again. "A little less than a year ago, I had a girlfriend. We broke up and just decided to be friends though. We're still pretty cool now, and we talk every now and then. I think she found herself a new boyfriend. Their relationship's kind of weird though, so I don't know if they're really together or not."

"Oh, okay… Wait, you had a girlfriend? But I thought…"

"Rox," the redhead sighed. "I told you that I didn't care about gender, remember? I go _both _ways."

"Oh, right…"

"Now let's get some ice cream already! Hurry up!" Axel shouted far too energetically, and Roxas took the clothes that had been thrown at him and headed towards the bathroom. No way in hell was he going to change in front of a perverted guy who hadn't done it in almost a whole year.

---

In just another city away, three other people stood in the Hikari living room. One might think that these three were Sora, his mother and father, but they weren't. Oh, how the teenage boy wish it were. Instead, it was Sora staring into the eyes of his best girl friend and his penpal. The brunet watched with a confused expression written across his face as Kairi pulled Naminé's body closer to her own.

"_Huh?_" was all Sora could manage.

Only mere minutes ago, the two girls had showed up in front of his house and told him that the three needed to talk. Sora was in a rush to save his little brother from a certain perverted redhead, but when Naminé glared at him for the first time _ever, _he knew that the whole world could wait. This must've been important if it could make even Naminé narrow her eyes at _anyone_.

As soon as Sora agreed, the two girls stepped into the house and locked the front door. They asked if his parents were home and he shook his head. "Good," was all Kairi said, before she lunged at the smaller girl next to her. Sora watched with wide eyes as his best friend crushed her lips against the blonde's.

It went on for a minute or so, and though Sora found it long passed disturbing, he couldn't tear his eyes away. His head ran a blank as his brain tried to process what was happening. But it was hard to because even though he was seeing it, Sora just couldn't believe it.

"K-Kairi? N-Na-Naminé?" the brunet stuttered as the two girls finally pulled apart. "What…what the hell is going on?"

"Sora…" the blond began softly. Her eyes looked at him pleadingly. "Please understand."

"Understand _what? _What's going on here? Wh-why were you guys…?" he went on, breathing heavily.

Kairi shook her head. "I think you know what we're trying to tell you, Sora." She sighed and continued to speak. "When you couldn't return my feelings…I decided to try to get over you. It didn't really work as I planned though. I tried talking to other guys, and I even went on a few dates. But I just couldn't bring myself to like any of them." Her gentle blue eyes turned to the other girl, and a hint of a small smile showed on her lips. "Then I met Naminé. She…changed _everything _about me, Sora."

The boy frowned and darted his eyes back and forth between the two girls. His heart was beating fast with panic and his breathing hadn't eased much at all. There was a mix of disgust and anger, and shock and sadness. His best girl friend and his penpal, who he confided everything in, were…were just like _him._

After a long silence, he hesitantly opened his mouth to speak. He didn't know what to say, but he knew he had to say _something. _Kairi and Naminé were clearly out of their minds. They weren't in love with each other! They just _couldn't _be. And Sora would've told them this if he wasn't cut off.

"Sora," interrupted the blonde. Her sapphire eyes looked like they were close to tears. "Do you hate us now?"

"H-hate you…?" Sora couldn't manage much more. He was completely shocked. Who knew that things would've ended up this way?

'_It's all_ _Riku's fault,'_ the brunet silently cursed his ex-best friend. Sora wasn't sure why it was the older boy's fault, but he just felt that it was right to blame him. Riku was the cause for a lot of things recently, or so Sora thought. He couldn't help but picture the silver haired teen every time something went wrong. And this caused the anger in Sora to boil and continue to grow.

Naminé fought back the tears as she tried to explain herself. "I…I know that you hate it. You think it's wrong for girls to like other girls, and for boys to like other boys. But…I can't help it, Sora. I-I'm…I'm in love with Kairi, and I'm sorry because I know you won't accept us." The girl burst out in full sobs and the tears rolled quickly down her cheeks. "I'm just so sorry, Sora. You probably hate us now, don't you? We're horrible. We don't even deserve to be your _friends _anymore!"

"Naminé…" the boy's eyes softened and his anger drained at the sight of tears. He never did like it when he saw someone cry. "Naminé, it's okay. I don't hate you. I could never hate you, _or _Kairi. And…I'm the one that's sorry."

"Hm?" Her teary eyes met with his as she turned to look at him. His expression was sincere and true. "You really mean that, Sora?"

He nodded.

She wiped away a tear from her eyes. "You don't care if I'm a…homosexual?"

He shook his head.

"And…" a small smile began to form upon her lips. "…we can still be friends, right?"

He put on a small smile of his own and nodded. "Yeah."

The blonde turned beside her and stretched a wide smile towards Kairi. The other girl returned it with an equally large smile of her own. And then suddenly, they burst out into giggles.

Sora frowned as he watched the girls continue to laugh. "Hey, why are you guys laughing? What's going on here?" the brunet questioned as a pout began to form on his face.

Naminé tried to speak, but her giggles didn't allow her to do so. Instead, Kairi had the first word of explanation. "Sora, do you realize what you just said?"

He answered her with a glare, which might've looked a bit more intimidating if it weren't for those cute, confused, puppy-dog eyes of his. At this, Naminé couldn't help but smile. The blonde exhaled a deep breath to rid the giggles. "Sora…" she began softly, "you just said that you didn't care if Kairi and I were together. And you said that we could still be friends too."

"Yeah, so?" asked the brunet, who was still completely puzzled.

Kairi slightly tilted her head to the side and put on a knowing grin. "It's the same thing with Riku."

Sora's left eye twitched at the name.

The auburn-haired girl went on. "You didn't care that Naminé and I were lesbians, so you shouldn't care if Riku is gay."

"But that's different!" Sora interrupted.

"Is it really, Sora?" Naminé immediately asked. "Don't you see? What you just said proves that you don't really care if people are homosexuals. You're not _actually _homophobic. You honestly told us that you didn't care if Kairi and I were lovers, so why do you care if Riku is like that too?"

"Because he betrayed me," Sora answered in a slightly angered voice. "He betrayed our friendship, Naminé. He didn't even care how it would affect _me. _He just went right ahead and—"

"And _what, _Sora?" Kairi asked this time. "He fell in love with you, Sora, just like I did. Did I betray our friendship by falling in love with you too?" He looked at her with a clear expression of guilt. "That's right, I _didn't._ We're still friends now, aren't we? And maybe, just maybe, if it were anyone else but you that Riku was in love with, you wouldn't really care. But it _was _you that he fell in love with. That's why you're so against it. That's why you can't accept him even as your _friend _anymore."

The girls continued their side of the argument, leaving no room for Sora to object. They would've countered every word he said anyways.

"He's your _best friend, _Sora," Naminé pleaded. "Please make up with him. We're not asking you to return his feelings, because we know that you're upset. We know that you're angry, and that you're hurt…But don't you think that _Riku _is hurting too? He's lost not one, but _two _people that he cares about. He's lost the one person he loves, and he's lost his very best friend."

"Just like I did…" The brunet turned to the other girl. Her thin, pink lips were curved into a small, sad smile. "When you shut me down, Sora, I was so hurt. I thought I lost my best friend, _and _the one guy I've ever really loved. But then…you talked to me and you said we could still be friends. Then everything turned out okay because even though I didn't have you as my _boyfriend_, I still had you as a _friend_. And that was good enough for me. It's been good enough for _ten years, _Sora, so it's good enough for me now. And I'm sure Riku feels the same way. So please, oh,_ please, _Sora. We're not asking you to fall in love or even pretend, just be his friend again. I bet he misses you like I know you're missing him."

The teenage boy stared down at his shoes. He was supposed to be saving his brother right now, but he couldn't find a way to move his feet. In truth, he knew that Kairi and Naminé were right. Though he wanted to deny it all, his conscience told him to stay and listen. Riku was hurting…Sora had never thought of it like that before. It must be hard for Riku not being able to be with the person he cares about. This took the brunet's thoughts to the time he let Kairi go and how much it pained him then. Was this how Riku felt too? This disgusting, dreadful, sinking feeling…

Yes, it was true. Kairi and Naminé were right. Ever since Riku's confession, a heavy feeling had been placed on him. He didn't know what it was at first because he never knew what it was like to lose his best friend. Riku was _always _there for him, through thick and thin. But now, after having it straight-out said to him, Sora finally realized the truth that he couldn't find on his own. Sora missed his best friend—he missed Riku. That was the horrible feeling that had been placed on him. And because he didn't understand it, he hated it instead.

"I'll…think about it," Sora answered softly.

"That's all we ask," Kairi gave him smile. She took a few steps forward and gave him a quick hug.

"…thanks, you guys," he whispered as he wrapped his arms around the girl. After a moment or so, he pulled away. "Um, well, I gotta go call my parents."

The girl nodded. "We understand. We'll leave now. See ya, Sora!" She flashed him a wide grin and steered a waving Naminé out the front door. Both of them stepped onto the front porch and Kairi closed the door behind them. She then turned to the blonde. "I can't believe we actually did that!"

Naminé simply shrugged. "I think it's for the best."

Kairi frowned as the two girls began down the walkway. "Best for _whom _exactly?" Naminé continued on looking forward, but the auburn haired girl's eyes were glued to the blonde. "I know that look you get in your eyes every time he's around. I've had the very same ones. You're…in love with Sora, aren't you?"

The blonde glanced at the girl and gave her a small smile. "You're just as smart as he's told me in his letters."

"So I'm right then," the other nodded and turned to face forward. They took a left turn on the sidewalk and strolled down the block. "It makes me wonder though…if you're in love with him, then why? You called me and asked me to help you patch things up with Riku and Sora by _pretending_ that we were together. But…it's like you're just giving Sora to him. Why would you do that?"

Naminé let out a small giggled and turned towards the sky. It was such a nice, autumn morning. The sky was a beautiful color that matched _his _eyes. But no matter how good the outside world felt, she knew her own world was crashing on the inside. Still, she smiled. "You'd do the same thing, I'm sure. You're not the selfish type, Kairi. You see it too, don't you? Sora's helpless without Riku. It's like…Riku's just a person that can't be replaced in Sora's mind. No matter how hard I try…I don't think I could take Riku's place. It's just not possible."

They continued on and Kairi tugged her coat closer to herself to keep warm. It only took her a second to think about it, and she soon found it true. "Love is a painful thing, isn't it? All it does is hurt people when things don't work out."

Beside her, the blonde nodded. "Yes, but when things do work out, it's the best thing in any world. Well, so I've heard. If you can find love, it's worth all the pain."

Kairi laughed. "Is that what you really believe?" She sighed and tugged gently at the chain around her neck. Attached to it was of a thalassa charm made of small white, lavender shells. Sora had given it to her on her seventh birthday… "I think you're right. Love is worth all the pain in the end, isn't it?"

---

**Kiki: **Yay! Hope you guys liked it. I'll definitely add a little more AkuRoku, and maybe put in some false hope for all you RikuSora fans (laugh). But don't lose too much hope… This is only the first part of the story! There are lots more to come, and there will definitely be some weird pairings. Did you see the SoraNami in this one? (giggles) I couldn't help myself. I think the pairing's kinda kyute for something non-yaoi xP Anyways, I've moved and that's got me a little depressed, but that's not something a little Fiesta! can't fix. For those of you that don't know, it's a MMORPG from OutSpark dot com. If you have an account or are planning to join, give me a PM! You can never have too many friends (big smile).

**Julie: **(Believes in the fakes hopes of RikuSora) Oh my god! You wrote the word "love" like 15 times! If we print this chapter, it's like 8 pages! And as we speak.. it's 9. See you next time! (goes to eat ham)

**Preview: **None! I'm drawing a blank here guys… D: Any ideas?

Oh! And remember (smiles), ice cream is SEX on a stick (laughs).


	11. With Little Hope

**Kiki: **Lalalalaaaaah~ IT'S FINALLY HERE. READ IT. NOW. (goes crawl under a rock and hides from angry, impatient readers)

**Julie: **(reads it with fiery passion in her eyes)

_Disclaimer, Warnings, Pairings, Sneak peak: _See previous chapters.

ate my page break :O

**Love Letters  
**By KikiKitsune

'_Chapter 10: With Little Hope'_

ate my page break :O

'_Dear Axel,_

_I took your advice and talked with everyone. Sora, his mom, our dad, and I sat down and talked about everything. But before that, I got a really long lecture. I'm glad that they weren't as angry as Sora had been though. You've met Sora's dark side, and I'm sure you know that it's not a pretty thing. Anyway, after a whole bunch of yelling, shouting, crying, begging, and a couple of "I'm sorry"s, Sora got his way. He's staying in Destiny, but had to promise his mother that he'd visit at least once a week. She didn't seem too happy about it, and was even less convinced that we could be responsible, considering my run-away incident. But I think that's okay. Sora's staying with me, and that's all I care about. Thanks for everything, Axel. You have no idea how much you've helped me._

_Sincerely,  
Roxas'_

ate my page break :O

On warm summer nights, when they were so much younger Riku, Sora, and Kairi would spend their evenings by the beach. It was usually chilly. Even in summer, the nights were still cold since there was no sun to shine warmth onto them. But even so, the three were often having too much fun to mind. They'd build sandcastles and play-fight with their wooden swords. They'd dip their tiny little toes into the water and walk along the shoreline as they chatted happily. Then they'd lie down in the soft sand and stare up at the star-filled sky.

Those, Riku believed, were the best days of his life. But even Riku knew that nothing lasted forever. And that's when he realized that they were growing up. Those peaceful days when it was okay to hold your best friend's hand were gone, and Riku seemed to miss them the most.

Kairi's hair was a little shorter back then. The tips of her auburn locks gently brushed the top of her shoulders and swayed as she walked. Riku remembered that she never tied it up. It always fell freely, sometimes decorated with a brightly-colored flower. He admitted that he found Kairi pretty. She was prettier than most girls he knew, but he didn't have a silly crush on her like every other boy in Destiny. He loved Kairi, but she was more like a sister than anything else.

The tiny auburn-haired girl held out her hand, and Riku watched sadly as the small boy next to her took it. She smiled at him, and he smiled back, and then they made their way toward the dock—their special spot. It's not like they claimed it or anything. They were just always there. Together. And it was as if there was an invisible force-field that kept Riku out. On that dock, there was only room for two.

And so, Riku stood there under a lonely paopu fruit tree as he watched his two best friends leave him on his own. He felt an unfamiliar sadness slowly server into his heart. Riku didn't know what it felt like to be alone. This was the first time he'd experienced such feelings, and he never imagined that he'd ever feel them at all because…

Sora was always there. They were best friends, even before they met Kairi. And even without her, Riku and Sora were fine. They had fun together and where always there for each other. They needed no one else.

But the sad thing, Riku realized, was that Sora seemed happier since Kairi came along. His smile seemed to shine so much brighter at the sight of her face, and his voice sounded more excited than usual whenever her name came up.

Maybe, Riku thought, he was just annoyed because the brunet would not _shut up _about the girl. Hearing the same things, again and again, every single day of every single minute… Riku was just _sick_ of it.

At least, that's what he had convinced himself to believe.

In truth, when he was old enough to understand his own feelings, Riku discovered what was underneath all the lies he had told himself.

Riku was jealous.

He loved Kairi. She was like the sister he never had. But she was also taking his best friend away, and Riku was _not_ okay with that. Because even if he didn't know it back then, he knew it now. He wanted to be the one that Sora loved. Riku wanted to be Sora's very best friend. He wanted to be the one that made Sora's smile shine the way it did, and he wanted to be the one that put the joy in Sora's cheerful voice. He wanted to be the one sitting on that dock and let everyone else know that there was only room for the two of them there. And he wanted to be the one to hold Sora's tiny little hand.

Riku wanted to be the one, Sora's _only_ one.

But…he just couldn't be.

As much as it hurt him, Riku knew that Kairi was the only one that could fill Sora's heart with happiness the way she did. So for ten years, Riku sat back and watched his two best friends go on without him. He listened to Sora talk endlessly about her, and he protected Kairi so that no one else could take Sora's happiness away. He did all he could as only a best friend could.

'_That's right. Friends. That's all we ever were, and that's all we'll ever be. Right…Sora…?'_

Riku was broken inside, but he didn't mind. As long as Sora was smiling, then that meant Riku's world would never end. He'd keep on living just to know that Sora was happy.

But then Riku cracked. He didn't mean to, he really didn't. He let Sora see his true feelings. He was in love with his best friend, and things were not okay. He heard that falling for your friends could ruin the friendship, but it looked more like Riku destroyed it—with just one kiss. And now, Riku wondered if the friendship he loved and cherished could ever be rebuilt.

It was a small idea stuffed in the back of his head, but somewhere in a small dark corner of the universe, a flame sparked a light with what little hope Riku had left.

"Riku…"

Sora's eyes were bright and gentle, just like they'd always been.

"Can we…talk?"

The silver-haired teen stared down at the smaller boy. He was far more than surprised. Never had he expected Sora to voluntarily speak to him ever again.

But here the brunet was, standing at his doorstep.

Riku nodded. "Sure. Do you…want to come in?"

They were silent for a moment—the air filled with an awkward aura. The older boy waited nervously for an answer. Maybe he shouldn't have asked that. Maybe it was better if they talked outside, in public, where Sora wouldn't be afraid that Riku might jump on him again.

He opened his mouth to speak, but it was already too late. Sora beat him to it. The brunet stepped pass Riku and through the door. Further surprised, Riku wasn't sure if he had the right to be happy, because he could have sworn…just as Sora passed him, Riku thought he caught a glimpse of a familiar smile he once knew and had missed so much.

'_Please', _Riku begged, _'Don't let my light burn out…'_

ate my page break :O

**Kiki: **I know it was super short, right? And I'm sorry… To tell you the truth (I never thought I'd say this, but…), my inspiration for Kingdom Hearts has sunk down a bit. Well, it sunk _a lot_. I haven't been looking at much fan art as I use to, or reading other fan fictions like before. I haven't been thinking about AkuRoku lately, or yaoi as a whole for that matter. I'm sorry dear fans of mine (I _do _have readers still, right? lol), but I think my fan fiction writing days aren't as good as they use to be. It was enjoyable while it lasted…

Okay, I know this might _sound _bad, but it's not. I will say this only once; I AM NOT QUITTING THIS STORY. I just won't update as often. Will take my lazy butt months to update, but I _will _finish this story! …Eventually. I just need to get my inspiration back. Maybe it got lost under the rock where I was hiding from impatient readers for these pass few months? (Big smile) I'll do my best to try not to take so long next time! Thank you all for reading. Criticism isn't welcomed, by the way. _Good _and _helpful _criticism is another story though.

Okay… (takes shelter under a rock) I now allow you to throw things at me for updating so late. Oh, I also apologize for that most of this was about Riku, since a few of the reviewers asked for more Demyx. I assure you that there will be more Demy-time soon, so no worries about that. :)

**Julie: **Oh, by the way, I've always wanted to know who actually reads these Author's/Muse's notes. If you do read them, say so in your review, who knows, you might get a surprise!~ 'Til next time bye!

**Kiki: **(still hiding from readers/reviews) ;-; Please don't eat my cookies…!!!


	12. Demyx WHAT?

**Kiki: **DEMYX ACTION. Been getting a lot of requests for more Demyx, so here it is! Enjoy and sorry it took me so damn long and this chapter is so short (hides under a rock).

**Julie: **And laziness overtook me! Sorry… (She is a bad beta/muse/manager/everthing else)

_Disclaimer, Warnings, Pairings, Sneak peak: _See previous chapters.

(Meow)

**Love Letters  
**By KikiKitsune

'_Chapter 11: __Demyx WHAT?!__'_

(Meow)

Axel and Roxas sat down on Roxas's bedroom floor, like they did every other normal Friday. And as always, Axel was beating the shit out of Roxas in some pointless, violent videogame. Then after about two hours or so, Roxas would get tired of losing and insist on a break. Axel would then react by a) whining for another round or b) cheering and running downstairs to raid the blonde's kitchen. Today's choice was b.

With a bag of chewy chocolate chip cookies and a can of Arizona raspberry ice tea, Axel happily plopped down on the couch and flipped on the television. Roxas plucked a bottle of Ramuné out of the fridge and went to sit beside the older man. He easily popped the marble out of the mouth of the drink and took a sip. Roxas somehow found himself staring at the television, even though he wasn't actually paying attention to what the show was about.

Beside him, Axel was munching on a handful of cookies. The blond frowned, _'What a pig.'_

The sound of footsteps played on the stairs, but Roxas ignored them. He knew who they belonged to.

"Rox, Nami and I are gonna go over the Kairi's house. She and Yuffie bought a _giant _turtle! You wanna see?" he heard Sora announce.

"Oh my GEE! A giant turtle?!" Axel repeated excitedly. Roxas turned around and found Axel's green eyes glowing happily. He _really _wanted to go.

'_What a dork,' _Roxas said to himself. Here, Axel was supposed to be the older, more mature one. Yet, it looked like Roxas was the one taking care of him.

"You three can go without me. I don't feel like going out today," Roxas said as he took another sip of his drink.

"Are you sure, Roxas?" Naminé asked. "We'd really like you to come."

He gave her a small smile. "I'm sure. You three have fun."

Axel frowned. "If Roxy isn't going, I don't want to either." He sunk back into his seat and commenced a sulking pout.

"That's stupid," Roxas commented bluntly. "If you want to go, then go. You don't need _me _to babysit you."

"But I _want_ to be with you," the redhead gave him a cheesy smile.

"Alright," Naminé said. "We'll be going then. Come on, Sora." She began to head for the door with the brunet slowly following after her. Axel and Roxas had turned their attention back on the television. Their eyes were glued on it, so they obviously couldn't have seen the frown on poor Sora's face as he walked out the door. Something about his little brother being alone with that man made him a bit uncomfortable.

(Meow)

Sora and Riku sat in Riku's bedroom, like they had a million times before. The brunet sat comfortable on the edge of the bed, and Riku took his usual place by the windowsill. The only thing that had changed was that Riku had left the bedroom door open. It was in hopes that it would comfort Sora more if he knew that Riku didn't intend to lock him up in the room and try rape the shit out of him.

The brunet stared at the ground as if he was admiring Riku's cream-colored carpet. It was clean, almost like new, except for a single large juice stain that never seemed to wash out. Sora remembered it well. When they were younger, Sora and Kairi were horsing around and Sora accidentally knocked over his very full glass of berry punch. They were never allowed to eat or drink in Riku's room again.

A small smile appeared on Sora's face. "You know, I couldn't really tell back then," he said, referring to the stain. "You said it was okay and that I shouldn't worry about it, but you looked _so _pissed off." He laughed and Riku looked a bit…embarrassed? The smaller boy's smile turned into a troubled frown as old memories filled his mind. "That time, I couldn't see it. I was sure you'd kill me, but you only tried to be nice about it. All the signs were there and you kept sending them. Everything you did for me was your feelings saying, _'Notice me'_, right? But I was too blind to see…"

Riku stared intently at his best friend. He resisted the urge to grab his aching heart. Why did it feel like Sora was dumping him? All the words made it sound like he was trying to say, _'I'm sorry, Riku, but we're never going to be friends again.'_

Sora's blue eyes turned to meet Riku's. The older boy mistook them as sad. They were something so much more surprising though. "I'm sorry, Riku."

'_Here it comes,' _Riku told himself, trying to mentally and emotionally prepare for Sora's biting words.

"For hurting you and for being a bad friend," Sora added.

'_Huh?' _He was _not _expecting that. "You've…" Riku began. He shyly pulled his eyes away and glanced back out the window. "You've always been a good friend. The best…"

"I'm surprised you can say that even after how I treated you," Sora forced a laugh. "But I…" He paused, searching for the right words. What was it he wanted to say? What was he _suppose _to say? "I can't accept your feelings," is what came out. "I don't love you in _that _way. But…I _do _love you, as my friend—my best friend."

"Huh? What are you saying?" Riku said so low that it was almost a whisper. This was even more of a surprise.

A bit nervous, and not really too certain, Sora blurted out the words he had built up the courage to say. "I want us to the friends again. I miss my best friend, so if you don't mind... could we, maybe, go back to how things used to be?"

A soft smile appeared on Riku's face. He looked at his friend and nodded. "I'd like that."

Sora returned the smile with one of his own. Things could now go back to normal. But in the back of his mind, Sora wondered if Riku could stay true. Could he really repress his feelings? And more than anything…could Riku find someone else to love that loved him back just as much? Because Sora was sure that he couldn't do that. He just couldn't love Riku…

(Meow)

'_Dearest Demyx,_

_Hey! It's been a while since we've actually _written,_ huh? Lol! I got your e-mail about the whole meet-up this Friday. I can't believe that the tryouts are this Saturday! We've been practicing _so_hard! If we don't make it through this round, I'll never forgive myself. Yunie and her penpal made arrangements so that they can come to the meeting with me. We're meeting at Zexion's place, right? OMG, am I rambling? Sorry, I'm just really excited! :) I still can't believe you let Yunie and me join your band! I've been practicing a lot, because I'm so scared that I'll mess up. I really don't wanna ruin your chances to have _Nobody's Heart _make it big. We just _have _to make it through the tryouts. After all, no one will see us unless we make it to the final round. I figured that even if we don't win, people will _at least _hear us play in the final round and we're _bound _to get some attention. Great plan, right? Let's do our best and practice hard! Write back ASAP! I'll see you this Friday!_

_Love,  
Rikku'_

"Ooh," Axel teased, "She said '_love, _Rikku.'" He laughed and headed for the fridge.

"Shut up, Axel," Demyx frowned. "It's not like that. Rikku and I arejustfriends." He took a bite out of his sandwich and put the letter back in its envelope.

"That's what they all say," the redhead continued as he rummaged through the fridge.

"Really, I don't like Rikku," he insisted.

Axel narrowed his eyes at the blond. "Well, why not? I mean, seriously, Dem. I've known you for like, what, _three years? _And in those three years, you've never had a _single _girlfriend. What's wrong with you? Are you gay or something?"

Demyx coughed loudly. Or maybe he was choking…

The redhead didn't seem to hear it though. He just kept on talking and looking through the fridge for something good to eat. "You're not ugly, you know. I mean, you're pretty cute! And there are always a whole bunch of girls chasing you, but you always turn them down. Don't you _want _a girlfriend? If you don't start now, you're gonna grow up old and bitter and alone like Vexen!"

Demyx cleared his throat and then shivered at the thought. Growing up to be like Vexen? Talk about _gross!_ "I know, Axel, but it's not my fault. I just don't…_like _any of them."

"Duh, that's why you date them and get to know them," Axel countered. "And then when you get to know them, you'll know if you like them or not. It's called '_giving them a chance,' _you moron."

The blond frowned. What a big meany our Axel was. "But what if…I already like someone else?"

"WHAT?" Axel yelled with surprise.

_Smack!_

"Ouch!" Demyx's comment made the redhead accidentally bump his head on the inside of the refrigerator when he was trying to pull his head out. "And you didn't tell me?!" Axel, carefully this time, pulled his head out from inside the fridge and rubbed the spot where he'd bumped it. "Who is it?"

Demyx blushed. "I'm not gonna tell you, you jerk. It's a secret."

"Boo," Axel frowned. "Well, why haven't you gone after them yet?"

"Because…" Demyx began. His voiced lowered and he looked almost…sad? "The person I like only sees me as a…_friend._"

"Well, then if that person can't see how good you are, then maybe they're not worth your effort. I mean, really! Who'd want to be only friends when there could be so much more between you two, right?" Axel flashed off a wide grin. "Don't worry, Dem, I know you'll find someone else even better."

Demyx shook his head and said to himself, "There's no one better."

The redhead, however, still heard it. "You never know unless you try," he said as he pulled out a slice of cold pizza and popped it into the microwave. "Oh, by the way, I invited Roxas to your auditions thing. You know, just to have someone to hang out with while I wait for you guys. Is that okay?"

"Roxas? Um…yeah, sure. It's okay. It'll be…fun," Demyx's voice trailed off into silence. Yeah, it was definitely gonna be fun.

But for just who exactly?

(Meow)

**Kiki: **Wee~ Kudos to Julie for the fridge scene! (giggles) Hopefully, we'll learn a little more about Demyx in the next chapter!

**Julie: **Demy stop being sad!! (huggles him) I've been busy with stuff and projects these days so I procrastinated on the betaing of this chapter (hides under Kiki's rock.)

**Kiki: **Gasp! That's my rock! (hides under it with Julie from angry, impatient readers)

(Meow)

**Preview: **I really hate drama, but ever since I met _him,_ it never seems to go away. And the sad part is…the drama is only affecting me—because he doesn't care, and he doesn't care because he doesn't know. If only I wasn't such a coward…then maybe he could see that I'm in love with him. But we all know that's not going to happen, because he's already in love with someone else. If only I told him sooner…

**Kiki: **Next time, we're gonna have a little flashback on how _Nobody's Heart _came to be! Yay! (claps) I love flashbacks!


	13. A Nobody’s Heart

**Kiki: **Sorry for taking so long, but I hope this chapter makes up for it. I had fun writing it, even though I had to keep doing a few rewrites. It's definitely longer than the last chapter too (laugh), so I hope you're all not too upset with me. Anyway, thanks for the reviews. I loved them! Well, enjoy!

**Julie: **Ehh...(puts a fake moustache)...Hi!~ 8D

_Disclaimer, Warnings, Pairings, Sneak peak: _See previous chapters.

(Axel)

**Love Letters  
**By KikiKitsune

'_Chapter 12: A Nobody's Heart'_

(loves)

"Demyx, are you okay?"

That was the first thing I remember someone saying to me on the last day of school. I was a third year in Junior High Schools, but I've heard some people call it "9th grade." Here in Twilight Town and in some other places too, I guess, Jr. High goes from grades seven to nine and high school is ten to twelve. School started in August and ended in June, meaning that summer would be arriving soon and that was damn fine for me.

"Yeah, I'm okay," I told my friend Zexion. Zex and I have been friends since the second grade when he had skipped a grade and ended up in my class. He wanted to sit next to Lexaeus, since their parents were friends and they already knew each other pretty well. But Miss Tifa assigned him a seat next to me instead. Lucky guy had me to show him around.

That was a joke by the way. I made Zex's second grade experience _hell. _It was oddly pretty fun.

Anyway, back to the story.

"I'm just thinking about what to do this summer, you know? It's our last summer before we start high school. I wanna do something _amazing!_" I announced to our group of friends that morning.

"Then do it and shut the hell up."

I frowned at Larxene. She was the only girl in our group. Considering that, she was also the one who was always PMS-ing, even when she was off her damn period. Dumb bitch also flunked a grade during her first year, so we ended up with her too. I'm not trying to be mean. Larx is a freakin' sadistic torturer and she's proud of it. Plus, she's more into art and fashion than math and science anyway. Not to mention that she's just plain good at it.

"I'm not sure what we _should _dothough," I explained.

It was silent for a moment before Zexion spoke again. "Well…I'm not too sure about the _whole _summer, but what about today? Lexaeus wanted to invite us over to his house to celebrate our graduation."

My jaw dropped slightly. "Really?!" Lexaeus was a big, quiet guy and you'd probably never guess that his family was wealthy since he never really dressed the part. I'd only been to his place a few times and we'd always go to the "smaller" part of his house, which didn't seem at all small to me. It was like a house inside a bigger house, really.

"Yeah," Zex nodded. "Actually, he's been practicing that one song and he wanted to play it with you, Dem."

"Okay, so what you're _really _saying is," Larxene begun, "that Lexaeus wants to invite _Demyx _over so they can play with their little music toys?"

"Basically."

"Then I'll come if I can bring some friends," Larx said.

Zex gave her a suspicious look. "What _friends?_"

"I think you guys have met Marluxia before, right?" she assumed. We had met him before. He was a mess of long pink hair and frilly rose-petals. Weird guy.

"The one that's already in high school, right?"

"Yeah, and my other friend just came back from Hollow Bastion yesterday. It'd be nice if I could hang out with all of you," Larx put on a creepy smile.

The hell with that! Was Larxene acting _nice?_

Of course not.

"What's the catch?" I asked.

"What catch?" Her smile turned into a hardened glare. "I just don't want to be sitting on the side completely _bored _and _alone _while you boys try to do this thing you call 'music'."

Now, that's more like the Larxene we know and (sometimes) love.

"Okay, I'll run it by Lexaeusand we'll meet up after school at his house," Zexion confirmed.

"Where is that big lug anyway?" I looked around to search for him, but my eyes caught on Zex instead. He was staring at me with this weird look. I'm not sure what it was, but it sure as hell made me laugh. He put on a rare, small smile. I didn't think much about it then, but now that I look back on it, there was just so much more to that smile that I never saw. Zex was honestly happy, and I wish I knew why.

(his)

I got a ride to Lexaeus's from him, and Zexion naturally tagged along with his best friend. Larxene went home in her _own car_, and said she'd bring her friends over as soon as she was done doing whatever the hell sadistic girls did after school.

When we got there, Lexaeus led us to a big white room. It was awesome, with so many instruments and its own recording room. He let me borrow one of his guitars and we messed around for a while. I guess that was one of the reasons why we became and stayed such good friends. We understood each other better than anyone else because of music. It gave us a connection that was more than the ears could hear.

If only my parents could understand.

Mom and Dad never fought, but that didn't mean they didn't have problems. Money was never an issue. They always argued about _me. _They wanted to know what schools would give me the best education. They argued about which tutors I should have and about what classes I needed to take. There was even the discussion they had about what colleges I should apply to when I was only nine. They made schedules for when I needed to study and they made plans for what I would do with my future.

I mean honestly. I loved my parents, but they controlled almost every aspect of my life. I think I was lucky enough to be able to choose my own _friends_. Or maybe I was lucky that the ones they approved of were the ones I actually liked. Goddamn, I wasn't smart like Zexion, and my parents loved to tell me I should be smarter like him. Larx and Lexaeus came from families from big businesses so they considered it a good "connection." But it wasn't like that for me at all. I loved them as people, not as "tools for my future."

And you know what else? I didn't only read because they told me to. I liked books, and I liked to read. I liked the things they had to say, and I know it _really _doesn't sound like me, but I do like to learn. I've heard people say that I'm a little slow, but if I have time, I can _get _things. And I like the feeling I have when I finally do get something. It's the same feeling I get when I can play a song perfectly—a song that I wrote myself. It's good, and it doesn't make me feel worthless like my parents keep telling me I am.

"I should have never bought him that guitar," I've heard my dad say far too often. He and my mom have this crazy crack-pot idea that if I never played the guitar, I'd have my head screwed on straighter. For them, I would focus more on the books and become that damn doctor they've always wanted me to be.

But you know what? It's all B.S.

I've always been a little air-headed, I'll admit, but that has nothing to do with my music. Music has been the best thing in my life. My parents just don't understand that it makes me_ who I am. _It makes me happy, and I know that nothing will ever change that.

And it's funny. Music became even better when I met my new best friend.

"Aw, shit!" I frowned and gave Lexaeus an apologetic look. We were in the middle of a song when I stopped to announce, "I have to pee!"

I heard Zex snicker while Lex gave me directions to the nearest bathroom, which wasn't really "near" at all. I bolted out the door, almost missing Larx and Marluxia. I guessed they'd just arrived and were heading to where the rest of us were. I waved and continued farther down the hall. At the end, I made a right to another hallway when—

_WHAM!_

"Whoa, there!" someone said.

I only had a second to wonder who it was that I bumped into because in the next second, my mind went blank. I just stared forward like the true idiot I was…

I'm not sure what I noticed first then—his freakish hair or those damn bright eyes. His hair was this fiery red color. It was blindingly noticeable and you'd have to pretty damn ignorant not to see it. It was styled in an odd way with long, straight spikes in every direction. And his eyes—they were this lucid green. They looked like eye contacts, but I later learned that they were, in fact, natural.

"S-sorry," I fumbled to try stand up on my own again. His hand was apparently supporting me up on my back, and he didn't try to let go either, even when I was stable on my own two feet again.

"Hey, little boy, are you lost?"

"_Excuse _me?" I gave him a "wtf" kind of look. He looked almost _serious _about that. And it wasn't only that. There was this really annoying tone in his voice. Did he really think I was some five-year old who got separated from his mommy? I mean, I know he was taller, but I'm not _that _short.

…am I?

"Geez, I'm just trying to help. Kids these days." He rolled his eyes and walked passed me.

I cursed under my breath. I might've shouted out loud, but I realized then that this was probably Larxene's friend from Hollow Bastion. So instead of screaming like I wanted to, I bit my lip and watched him walk away. And with every step he took, it somehow pissed me off even more for absolutely no reason at all.

And to think that this guy was going to end up as my best friend…

(Roxas)

His name was Akuseru Akamichi, but everyone apparently called him "Axel." He was sixteen to my fifteen and was Larxene's "childhood friend." That explains a lot. Their parents were good friends just like Zex's and Lex's, but they each lived on the other side of town and went to separate schools. He went to Hollow Bastion last month to visit some family member and recently moved to a place that was closer to Larxene. That being said meant that after summer, all six of us would be going to the same high school. That's right, we were _all _going—Larx, Marly, Lex, Zex, me, and even that son of a gun named Axel.

The days passed byand most of the summer continued on with the six of us together. Axel would always make dumb jokes and remarks about things no one cared about, and Larx would be laughing her head off with Marluxia. Zexion frowned at most of his jokes by trying to focus on a book or song, but I caught him smiling a few times at some of the things Axel said. The guy was pretty funny, I guess. Lexaeus didn't seem to think so, but the guy never really thinks anything's too funny. I, on the other hand, loved to laugh. But you know what? It's pretty damn hard to laugh when an ass that you hate is making most of his stupid jokes about _you._

Summer flew by like it was nothing. Zexion says it was because we were too busy doing stupid things that we considered "fun." At least we were having fun, right? Well, it was most of the time. But Larx brought over Marly and Axel way too much for me to be in a good mood. And I hated that, because I really think I started to hate Axel back then. I'm not sure why, but the guy just really pissed the shit out of me. Even when the jokes weren't about me, I found him idiotic and obnoxious. I wanted to kill him, but we all know that wouldn't look good on my college application. So instead, I tried to avoid him as best as possible.

That plan didn't turn out so well.

It was only a few days before school was going to begin again. At dinner, Mom and Dad lectured me about not studying much over the summer. I found it hard to believe though. I studied from morning to noon, and then I went out to meet everyone until dinner time. Then after dinner, I'd go study _again_ until it was time for bed. I really hated that too. I finally got them to shut up by telling them I'd go buy a new practice test booklet. And that's how I ended up at the _Twilight Tower Bookstore_, which was down the street from the cemetery. Zex worked there on weekends, but today was a Thursday, meaning that there would be no discount, sadly.

I came out of the bookstore with a mathematics booklet and a manga (I'd definitely have to hide that from my parents). I was so sucked into the story that I almost didn't notice that a head of bright red hair had passed by me.

"Axel?" I turned away from the book and looked up to confirm. Of course, who else could imitate that natural shade of red?

Axel stood facing me, hair and eyes as noticeable as ever, and his hands stuffed inside his black hoodie. But there was something off. For the first time since I'd known this proud, ignorant, loud-mouth jerk, he was…crying…

"A-are you okay…?" I asked hesitantly. I'll admit that I was a little startled.

He pulled his right hand out of his pocket and wiped away the tears in his eyes. He took a loud sniff and said, "Yeah, I'm okay." He wasn't really full blown-out crying or anything, but it was enough to show that he was. The whites of his eyes even turned a little red.He looked so sad… "Um…" he paused for a second to think. "Demyx, right?" he asked like we hadn't seen each other two days ago.

"Yeah…" I answer and it becomes quiet and slightly awkward. Neither of us had anything to say. My mind had gone completely blank at the shock of seeing Axel cry.

Suddenly, it started to rain, which kind of sucked. I didn't know whether to be grateful that it broke the silence, or be upset because it totally soaked my new manga. I stuffed my book back into the plastic bag and Axel pulled up the hood of his jacket. Within seconds, rain began to pour.

"Come on," he grabbed my free hand and led me away.

"Where are we going?" I asked, following as best I could with his quick steps.

"I live right across the street there," he explained, pointing to an apartment building that I never seemed to notice was there before. The sign outside read "Oblivion Apartment" in white, bold letters. Strange name, if you asked me.

Anyway, we hurried across the street and went inside. The apartment was surprisingly nice, but a little creepy. Everything was so damn white, kind of like a hospital. I hated hospitals. I'm a little squeamish.

Axel's room, however, wasn't white like the lobby or the halls. His door was a light shade of peach with a black "VIII" on the outside, and on the inside, the walls were painted a pale green. You could barely tell though, since his walls were plastered with posters of rock bands and video game characters. His carpet was more visible though, with not even a stray piece of clothing. The room was fair sized and somewhat neat. The bed was unmade and placed next to one of the windows, while a small TV set sat in front of two fluffy chairs. I found a whole bunch of game consoles plugged in and ready to play. Besides a desk and bookshelf in the corner and another door, which I'll guess is the closet, that was it.

It was pretty surprising. With the way Axel acted, I expected his room to be a pigpen. But instead, it was, well…pretty damn clean. Who would have thought?

"Take off your clothes. You can borrow some of mine," I heard him say and it snapped me back from the shock of the cleanliness.

"Huh?" my mind had yet to process what was going on. Did I just go to the home of the guy I hated?

"Your clothes? They're wet," he repeated.

"Oh…right." I began to take off my shirt and he threw a towel onto my head.

"You should call your parents," he suggested, and it only made me snort at the thought. It was really weird having him act responsible after all he's done. Not to mention that the last thing I wanted to do was call my parents. He gave me a frown. "I bet they're worried about you. Just give them a call and let them know you're okay."

I dried my hair and tried to say as quietly as possible, "They wouldn't care." He handed me a new shirt and I put it on. It was black with a cute, white tofu character on the chest. Really manly, Axel.

"What makes you think that?"

"As long as I show up to study, they don't care what I do. All they ever think about is my grades. It wouldn't matter if I was out late or if I got sick," I answered, hoping I didn't sound bitter or upset, even though I was.

"…they'd care."

I looked up and found Axel's bright eyes on me. He looked more serious than ever, even more than the first time I'd met him. I almost believed it by the way he sounded. And the way he looked at me—unflinching—like he was looking right through my heart.

It scared me.

"The reason they make you study is so you get good grades. Then you'll be able to get into a good college and get a good job. They're trying to help you prepare for your future, dumbass. They _do _care. They wanna make things easier for you in the long run. You're just too ungrateful to see it." He threw a pair of sweatpants at me and headed into the bathroom, leaving me pissed off as always. I was really mad, but for the first time, not at Axel. I was mad at myself for being too slow to see my parents' intentions, for always thinking so wrong of them. But most of all, I was mad because I let Axel be right, and I _hated _that.

My parents cared. They loved me and I knew deep down that I was lucky enough to have them. So without another second of hesitation, I pulled my cellphone out of my wet pocket. It was soaked with rainwater. I pressed the top button and with a little _'ping!' _it turned on.

Good. It still worked.

(hot)

We sat in font of the television and I tried not to laugh at Axel's comments about how ugly the girls were in the game he was playing. I honestly didn't think they looked bad at all (not that they were noticeably cute). I couldn't stop smiling. Axel really was different than I'd expected. And once you got pass the obnoxious, loud-mouth jokes, he was pretty…awesome.

"So," he began, still pressing the buttons rapidly. "How'd the talk with your parents go?"

I shrugged. "They seemed a little worried, but calmed down once I told them where I was and that I was okay." Axel didn't say a word. He didn't even look at me. He only nodded, being serious again for a split second. "Is it okay if I stay a while longer? Just until the rain lets up," I asked.

"Summer rain doesn't normally let up that easily in Twilight Town. I'm guessing it won't stop until early next morning," Axel replied, sounding all smart and whatnot.

"Oh…well, I guess I could call my parents to come pick me up…" I told him.

"I could take you home," he suggested. I think I looked really scared, because he glanced at me and laughed. "What? I have a driver's license. I'm a pretty good driver too." I frowned when he glanced over at me again. "What? Don't you trust me?" He looked at me once more and the TV made a _'KABOOM!' _sound and said, "Game Over."

I didn't trust him. This was way too suspicious. "You..." I began, but sort of hesitated when he made these big, sad puppy-dog eyes at me. It made me flinch. "You…you're just so weird," I finally got out. "This whole summer, all you did was make fun of me. Now you're being all nice and stuff? I just don't get you!"

He narrowed his eyes. "Oh, so you _want _me to be mean?" He put down the game controller and I shook my head. He sighed and explained. "Look…today's the day that my parents passed away eight years ago. I try not to be an ass on this day, to pay respects, you know?"

"…y-yeah…" I pulled my eyes away from him and stared down at my lap. I really had no idea what Axel's been through. I realized that I didn't really know anything about him. I never thought that the jokes were a cover up for the pain he must've been feeling. "Sorry about your parents." And as soon as I said that, everything just kind of clicked into place. The bookstore next to the _cemetery_—Axel was visiting his parents. And the tears…he was crying because he missed them. I always thought he was some heartless jerk but in the end, I was completely wrong. He's human too. He hurts just like I hurt…

I looked up and found a small smile on Axel's face. "Sorry," he said. I hadn't expected that. "I don't mean to be such and asshole all the time. I guess I really didn't think you cared about all the jokes I made about you." He put on a nervous smile and scratched the back of his head like he didn't know what else to say.

So I said something instead.

"Axel?"

He looked up at me.

"…yeah, Dem?"

I smiled.

"You wanna be friends?"

And he smiled back.

(and)

I didn't really do much over that summer, but that's okay. And what made it honestly okay was that I made a new friend. He became my best friend, and as time went by, I really came to like the idiot.

And that scared me.

(spicy)

Christmas break.

High school was pretty easy with the help of Marluxia and Axel. Still, it was nice to get away from the excessive studying (even though my parents still made me study everyday anyway). We spent the break shopping and playing more music. We sort of even started a band. Lexaeus on the bass, Marly, I didn't know, played the drums; Zex, who actually played the piano, was pretty damn good on the keyboard; and Larx, being the extremely scary person she was, stole my guitar. She gave it back after we all, meaning Lexaeus, bought her a guitar of her own. I knew Larxene loved music, but I had no idea she could play too. And somehow, Zex ended up writing the lyrics to the songs I wrote. I guess I'm not too surprised. He's always been good with words. The only thing was that we had no vocalist to sing the lyrics.

"I'll sing!" Mar grabbed the microphone and jumped into place. We were at Zexion's house that day. He lived alone while his parents were in a city nearby because of work. They offered to have him live with them, but he told them that he didn't want to move out of Twilight Town. I really didn't understand it too much since it wasn't too far away, but I guess I'm glad that he's really close by.

"Yuck!" Larx made a gagging sound. "Marly, _please _stop trying to sing. No one wants to hear your ugly voice."

Marluxia frowned and flipped a pink lock of hair over his shoulder. "You're just _jealous!_"

"You wish! Seriously, sometimes I wonder if you're not gay or something," Larx laughed and took a bite out of her rice cracker. Mar stared at her with an open mouth, making that "I'm insulted!" kind of look. I actually kind of wondered that too, to be honest.

"I am _not_ gay!" he shouted unnecessarily into the microphone. "I'm bi, like Axel."

Larx burst out in full-blown laughter and I turned to the other side of the room to find the redhead spitting out his drink. Zex and Lexaeus stared over at him too.

"Shut up, Mar!" Axel sneered. He threw his empty plastic cup at Marluxia, who batted it back with the microphone, missing. Zex and Lex looked back and forth between a screaming Axel, a teasing Marluxia, and a laughing Larxene. As for me…my head went blank like it did when I learn something truly shocking. It was a little hard to process. Axel was…bi? As in bisexual? As in he liked girls _and _guys?

Why did that thought make my heart skip a beat?

(like)

Christmas day came as a surprise. My head was so busy wonder around that I had totally forgotten until Zexion showed up on my doorstep that morning. Good thing I did my Christmas shopping already. Anyway, I was in the kitchen making pancakes for breakfast because I woke up and just couldn't get back sleep. There were too many thoughts running through my head. Mom and Dad were still asleep though, but I knew they'd wake up when they smelled the pancakes. That or the doorbell would. I turned off the stove to prevent any chance of a fire (like last time) if I took too long, and went to answer the door.

I remembered exactly what he was wearing that day. Zex was dressed in clingy black jeans and a handmade, light blue sweater. A picture of mini-Lex and mini-Zex were sewn onto it with a grayish-blue sky sprinkling snowflakes. His scarf was a dark blue that matched his snow boots and gloves. He looked…extremely cute. I couldn't help but smile.

"Shut up." He turned a light shade of pink and glared at me.

My smile only grew. "I love your sweater. Did Lexaeus make it?" I think he started to blush even deeper. Zex really was adorable, especially when he was embarrassed.

"He made that stupid pouty face when I told him I didn't want to wear it," he explained. I nodded. Zex was always a sucker for Lexaeus sad faces. It was always fun to watch the two best friends try to guilt each other into doing things. I wondered if I could do that with Axel too.

"I see, I see. So you ended up wearing it to make your best friend happy." I exaggerated an "aw" and he threw another glare at me.

"I've decided. Your head will go nicely over my fireplace when I'm done with you," he threatened.

"Sure, sure," I ignored it and took his arm to pull him inside. It was starting to get cold and I was still in my jammies! I shut the door and rubbed my arms. "So wassup?"

"Oh, that." He took off the backpack he was wearing and quickly unzipped it, revealing a mass of individually wrapped presents. He pulled out a blue one with a silver ribbon and handed it to me. I wasn't expecting this—at least, not at 6:30AM. Didn't Zex sleep in, like normal people? We were going to see each other tonight at the Christmas party anyway.

"What is it?" I took the gift and shook it a little.

"Open it and find out," he ordered, and I did without a second thought.

Inside was a light blue pin with a white symbol on it. And over the symbol was my name written in a unique font that screamed, "I WAS MADE BY ZEXION." There was also a light blue, hand-knitted scarf.

"I got the others a pin too," he said. "See the symbol there? I was thinking that maybe it could be the band's logo or something. Well, that is, if you guys wanted it to be…" He looked away from me and blushed once more. I smiled. He was so cute sometimes.

"I'm sure the others will love it." He peeked up at me and I caught him smiling back a little. Adorable.

"Oh, wait. I just thought of something. We don't have a name for our band, do we?"

"Well, what do you think we should call it?"

(his)

After spending the morning with my parents (and Zexion apparently), Mom and Dad left to a party with the other neighborhood parents. That left Zex and me to visit everyone else and then head to our own Christmas party. I was a little surprised. We had it over at Marluxia's place and he invited a few friends of his own. They were all in college or already into their careers, meaning that they were a lot older. I kind of wondered where Marly, a high school student, met them all. Axel and Larx apparently knew them too though. There was Xemnas and Vexen, whom were kind of creepy. And there was Saïx, who seemed to always be in a bad mood. Xaldin was a big guy and a bit intimidating. Luxord was really nice, and I got along pretty well with Xigbar. It was a little awkward at first but it turned out really fun—at least, for the most part.

I fumbled with the gift in my hands. It was red like his hair, and the ribbon was green—similar—but not nearly the same as his eyes. It was a gift for Axel—the one who had recently become a very good friend of mine. I'm not sure why I was so nervous. May it was because we hadn't known each other very long and that made it a little awkward. Even so, I took a step forward. While everyone else was inside happily chatting and pigging out, I found Axel sitting all alone on the back porch. And with my badly wrapped gift in hand, I took this chance and walked over to give it to him.

He turned around and smiled at me, said a short greeting, and then returned to staring back at the night sky. My heart pounded against my chest. It felt like it was about ready to explode, and I had to keep telling myself things to make it stop.

Yeah, I had to tell myself _things_. I had to tell myself that all the things I'd thought about recently were all just silly thoughts. And I had to tell myself that, what I was feeling was just admiration. It was nothing to worry about and nothing to over-think. That's what I told myself over and over again for everyday for the past few months.

But no matter how hard I tried to tell myself I wasn't, I was.

There wasn't much to Axel. He was an immature jerk with bad jokes. He wasn't extremely bright and kind of ignorant. He could be mean and selfish, and all he ever did was play video games and laugh about stupid things. But I didn't mind any of that, not anymore, because I liked everything else.

I liked the way he patted my head and says, "Nice going, Dem." I liked his laugh, because when he laughs, he looks like an honest person. I liked hanging out with him and simply being with him. I liked talking to him about anything and everything, and sometimes nothing at all. I liked the weird things he tells me about his day and I liked the way he helps me write songs when I get stuck sometimes. I liked being with him, I liked having him as a friend.

I simply just…liked Axel.

And that single thought made me realize that I was an idiot. I couldn't like Axel, at least, not in _that_ way. We were friends—_just _friends. And if I told him I liked him and he didn't return my feelings, everything would be weird between us. And I was pretty sure that he didn't like me back, not in the same way. I didn't want to lose Axel. I wanted to keep being his friend. I wanted to be near him, always and forever. And I guess that's why I didn't give him my gift then. He just kept staring at the sky. He didn't see me staring at him, and he didn't watch me hide the newly found pain I found in my heart.

He'd never find out—never know how much I liked him.

(favorite)

Demyx pulled out a smooth sea-blue pick from his back pocket. The pin from that Christmas three years ago was attached to the side of his pants along with various other pins. He pulled his guitar into place and Larxene and Lexaeus did the same. In front, Rikku and Yuna held onto their microphones, and Zexion gave him a small encouraging smile from the side. Demyx's heart thumped as Marluxia began to count down.

Just before they began the song, Demyx looked out at their tiny audience. Within the small crowd of friends, he sought out Axel standing next to none other than Roxas Hikari. Demyx's heart sunk a bit before he shook the feeling off. This was no time to be thinking about that.

Even so, as everyone listened to the song of _Nobody's Heart_, they found a bit of something breaking into them.

And that "something"…was the sad melody of Demyx's biggest regret.

If only he told Axel how he really felt, maybe things would've been different.

(super)

**Kiki: **I advise that you all keep reading, even though I'm kind of interrupting (laugh). The rest of the chapter is down below, but I've decided to separate it with the author's note here because the P.O.V. changes. We're gonna look into a bit of Zexion now! Hope you like it, and please review!!! Axel needs reviews to go with his spicy Roxas burrito!!!

**Julie: **I'm such a bad beta, taking forever to beta this thing! Sorry Rey, I lied to you. I'm evil aren't I? Er..keep reading! (insert subliminal message)

(yummy)

Zexion watched his friend sit beside Axel on the other side of the room. It was the day after the Christmas three years ago. They were chatting separately from the rest of the group, and this made the boy a little curious. He moved closer to them with quiet steps so that they wouldn't notice him. Zexion tried his best to drown out his other friends and listened as the two talked. A small smile set into place when he noticed that Demyx was wearing the scarf he'd made for him.

"Nice scarf," Axel commented. "Who made it? Was it from a girlfriend?"

"N-no," Demyx stuttered. "I don't have a girlfriend."

"Oh? Who's it from then?"

"N-nobody—nobody…_special _anyway…"

Zexion felt a small pain in his chest. He didn't mind it too much though. Besides, he was pretty much used to it after all those years. Zexion collected himself and quietly stepped back into the group of friends, leaving Demyx and Axel to continue on their conversation. Inside his pocket, he fumbled with a similar pin that he had made for the rest of the band. But unlike the others, this one didn't have his name written on it like the others had. No, on this special pin, it had the name of what Zexion was in _his _eyes.

(bean)

"The symbol on this pin kind of looks like an upside down heart."

"It does, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, I wonder whose heart it belongs to?"

"…nobody's. It's a _nobody's_ heart."

"'_Nobody's Heart…' _I like it! It could be the name of our band."

(burritos.)

Zexion put on a small smile for Demyx, just before they began the song they'd chosen for the **Battle of the Bands**. It was okay if he never knew, Zexion told himself as he continued on to smile even as Demyx turned away. It was okay, so long as the person he loved was happy. For Demyx, Zexion would continue to smile, even if it tore him up inside. It was for Demyx, he told himself. Everything was for Demyx, the person he had always loved, even after Demyx had thrown Zexion's heart away and fallen in love with Axel. And for Demyx, Zexion would continue to be nobody, even though he wanted to be _so _much more…


	14. A Family of Friends

**Kiki: **(bows deeply) I'm so sorry it's so late. I've had this written down in my notebook for so long, but never took the time to type it up. I've been busy with school, as well as procrastinating and being extremely lazy! I've also been playing games instead of my homework (laughs). Anyway, I thank you all very much for your lovely reviews and please enjoy this chapter!

**Julie: **Games, games, games!! I don't know what to say anymore....But I've improved with my English? Is that good?! (smile)

**Kiki: **Yes, very much x3

_Disclaimer, Warnings, Pairings, Sneak peak: _See previous chapters.

(Roxy)

**Love Letters**By KikiKitsune

'_Chapter 13: A Family of Friends'_

(-baby,)

"Grats, you guys" Axel cheered happily.

"Congratulations!" everyone else echoed.

They'd done it. _Nobody's Heart_ had finally _done it_. They were in the final round of the **Battle of the Bands**. And it was all thanks to Rikku. She'd been the one to find this wonderful chance for them, and she was the one that encouraged them to do more than play voluntarily at school festivals. She'd done so much, but would Demyx really love her for that?

Rikku was a pretty popular girl. Even as a first year, she attracted the attention of boys from all grades. She's had so many guys ask her out, but she turned down every single one of them. There was only one guy she wanted. It was just too bad he couldn't see how much she wanted him.

"I like you, Demyx." Those words were so simple, yet so hard to say. Despite her friendly attitude, Rikku was actually a very shy girl. She had always found it hard to express how she really felt about things. It's not like she never wanted to, but the words never came out right. Sometimes they never came out at all. Besides, what if Demyx turned her down? Wasn't it better off for them to keep being friends, even if it tore Rikku up a little bit on the inside…

But she would have liked it. She would have really liked it if, maybe, Demyx would realize Rikku's feelings. She had done so much for him, hoping that he would fall for her just like she had fallen for him. But…that would never happen, would it? Oh, Demyx, can't you see how much this little girl likes you? No, no, of course not. You're too busy looking at someone else who won't return your feelings either.

(I)

On the other side of the room, said musician was chatting with a very hungry Axel and a very hyped-up Xigbar. Someone (Luxord) had apparently given Xigbar a bit too much fizzy soda, not knowing the damage (fun) it would cause for everyone else.

"Man…this stuff is _good!" _Xigbar put on a smile and let his arm drape over Demyx's shoulders.

Axel laughed. "Just make sure you don't drink it all. I don't think we'd be able to handle you if you did that."

"Oh, lighten up, Axel. We're here to celebrate our little Demy's big break. Let's have some _fun! _Whooo!" And with a tug, Xigbar dragged Demyx over to the karaoke machine, where Larxene was beating Marluxia over the head for messing up her duet with Xemnas.

The redhead, who was left alone, shrugged and made his way towards the kitchen. To his surprise (and delight), Roxas was there, sipping a glass of not-so-super-fizzy-but-still-somewhat-fizzy strawberry soda.

"Roxy!" Axel skipped towards the blond who instantly backed away. "What are you doing here all by yourself?"

"Hiding from the likes of you," Roxas answered coldly and took another sip.

Ignoring the blonde's biting words, Axel stepped closer. "You're staying over again tonight, right?" The redhead placed his elbows on the kitchen counter where Roxas was standing next to.

"Not unless you mind," Roxas shrugged. "Is anyone else sleeping over too?"

"Just Lex and Zex," the other answered.

Roxas nodded, "I see." And then they fell into an awkward silence. The blond slowly stepped away. Was it just him, or was Axel getting oddly close to him? Seriously, the guy needed to stop staring all the time, and to **back off,**like he was doing now. It was kind of creepy, really. "I'm gonna go into the other room," the blond said before scurrying off.

Alone with his creepy smiles, Axel let out a heavy sigh. Roxas was so cute. He hadn't meant to stare (or drool), but he just couldn't help himself. The little blond was just so mesmerizing, with his soft golden hair, shining blue eyes, and—

Wait. Why did Axel come into the kitchen again?

(just)

It was nearing winter break now. That meant that Christmas would be arriving soon and everyone should be shopping. Otherwise, if you're friends with Larxene and haven't planned on giving her even a Christmas card, she'll do something so horrible, even this authoress doesn't know how to describe it. And so, to keep their lives, Sora and Roxas decided to do a little Christmas shopping.

"You think Naminé will like these?" Sora held up a giant box of brand new pastels. The two boys were resting from their afternoon of shopping on a public bench.

Roxas frowned. "Yeah, but I think the cheaper brand would've been okay too. Why'd you have to buy the super expensive one?"

Sora exaggerated a gasp. "But these looked prettier! And Naminé deserves only the prettiest things," the brunet argued, even though both brands looked almost exactly the same.

The blond shrugged it off. Silly Sora, he'd gotten Kairi a super expensive sewing kit so she could work on her designs. He got his mother a super expensive ring, and their father a super expensive watch. There were also the super expensive chocolates he'd gotten for Axel and Demyx, because they found out that Demyx really liked chocolates but Axel always ate them all. He even got Riku a super expensive gift-card to his favorite super expensive store.

Geez…Didn't Sora understand it isn't how much you spend on a gift? And more importantly, where'd he get all that munny? (**Julie: **Clearly, he's a pimp with losta munny.)

"Christmas break is next week…I wonder what we're gonna do. It's your first Christmas without your mom, and I dunno if I'm gonna spend it with my mom or Dad." Sora placed the box back into one of his shopping bags.

Roxas looked over at his brother. He was right. This was the first Christmas that he'd spend without his mother…Every Christmas was spent with his mother, his friends, and his neighbors in Twilight Town. But now his mother's gone, his friends no longer talk to him, and he was far away from what used to be his home. There would be no more Christmases in Twilight Town for Roxas.

But maybe…Christmas wouldn't be so bad anyway. There was still Sora after all, right? That is, unless he ends up spending Christmas in Traverse Town with his mother.

(love)

Now, Sora had a very bad morning the first day of his Christmas break, so Riku couldn't have possibly guessed why the brunet had blown his cap off that evening. No, Riku definitely couldn't have known that Axel and Demyx came to "surprise" Roxas at 5AM in the morning. Riku couldn't have known that all the doors and windows to the house were all locked except for Sora's bedroom window. So Riku couldn't have known that Axel and Demyx climbed up to Sora's bedroom on the second floor and woke up the teenage boy by _falling _on him. And no one told Riku that the duo of idiots sang the most annoying song _ever_ to wake Roxas up. Not to mention they ate all of Sora's favorite breakfast cereals and the scrambled eggs, toast, and freshly squeezed juice that Sora had made for his brother. Oh, and we definitely can't forget the hours Sora spent baking those 3 dozen cookies only to have Axel and Demyx start a food fight with them (of which Sora had to clean up, _and _make another 3 dozen).

And all these events that Riku had no idea about couldn't possibly have warned him not to say, "Sora, these cookies are a little dry."

"…dry?" Sora repeated slowly. "They're…_dry, _you say?" His eyes widened and he leaned in closer to Riku. Riku attempted to take a step back, but it was too late.

Sora had exploded.

(your)

"It's not your fault," Roxas told the older teenager.

Riku wanted to believe him, he really did, but it was hard to. Sora was so upset that he locked himself up in his room and would speak to no one—not even Roxas. He wouldn't even peek out of his bedroom when Naminé had called on the phone for him.

"You know…" Riku looked up from the floor and turned to Roxas. "I don't think he's really mad about the cookies." He watched as Roxas traced the rim of his cup with his finger. "I'm not really too sure, since I haven't really spent that many Christmases here, but…I think Sora's mad at Dad."

"Your dad? You mean because of the divorce and stuff?" Riku asked. He stiffened in his seat on the couch.

"How'd you know about that?" The blond wandered off topic. He was definitely surprised. Roxas has told Axel—his new "friend," but he didn't think Sora would tell anyone about their family affairs (except maybe Naminé).

"Kairi told me, and then Sora told me the details later," Riku explained. Oh, right. Kairi was Sora's best friend too. How could Roxas forget about Sora's longest and only crush?

"So…is it about that then?" Riku asked.

"Oh, well…"Roxas went on his previous thought. "I think it might have something to do with the divorce. But more than that, I think it has to do with him spending Christmas without his family."

"What do you mean? I don't get it. He can't be with his mom, maybe, but he has you and your dad."

"No, no…" Roxas went on. "I don't think Sora wants it like that at all. My mom would drop me off here for Christmas sometimes, and there was always a big party. While my mom was spending time with my other cousins and stuff, Sora's family was crammed into this house."

"Yeah, they had those parties every year," Riku nodded.

"Yeah," Roxas added on. "Sora told me it was his favorite time of theyear because that was when he got to see the relatives he couldn't usually see very often. And that was also when his mom and our dad wouldn't fight _at all_." The blond paused and let out a sad sigh. "But…this year, I don't think anyone's coming. What's even worse is that Dad hasn't stopped working. We barely see him anymore. I don't even think he's going to spend Christmas with us…"

Riku frowned. He understood now. "…Sora's upset that this Christmas is only going to be the two of you."

Roxas gritted his teeth. "Actually, the idiot thinks I'm gonna run off and spend Christmas with Axel and the others in Twilight Town."

"Are you?" Riku asked casually.

The blond gave him a glare that made Riku flinch. Talk about _scary_. "You think I'd leave my brother all _alone _on _Christmas_?"

Riku shook his head slightly and looked away. Damn, they really were brothers, weren't they? Intimidation all wrapped up in a cute little package.

Roxas placed his cup down on the coffee table and let out a heavy sigh. "I wish I could do more, but all I can give him is me."

The other leaned back into his seat. "That should be enough. At least…he's not alone, right?"

Roxas smiled. "Right."

"Come on." Riku stood up. "We can't do anything about your father or Sora's mother, and sitting around and talking about it won't do us any good. Let's figure something out. Let's do something to cheer Sora up."

"But what?" the blond asked.

"How about a Christmas party with a _family of friends_?" Both Roxas and Riku turned around to find Axel and Demyx standing behind the couch. Demyx held a plate of Sora's homemade cookies while the both of them slowly munched away at them. Roxas frowned. Did they really have to keep eating all of those?

Riku, however, held onto another thought. "Exactly what I was thinking," he smiled.

"But…will we have enough time to plan it and invite people? I mean, everyone probably already has plans and we only have like a week unti—"

"Roxas, stop," Demyx laughed. "We'll make it work, so don't worry about it."

Axel cleared his throat. "But first…you need more milk, Roxy. Dem and I kinda…drank it all." He shook an empty milk carton to emphasize, and that earned the redhead and a smack in the face. Silly Axel.

(sweet)

Roxas sat in Sora's bedroom, stroking his brother's hair as he quietly fell asleep. Axel, Demyxand Riku had gone to the grocery store and probably wouldn't be back for quite a while knowing how Axel and Demyx are around food. They'd probably wander off and get lost, forcing poor Riku to go search for them.

This being so, not even the brothers knew what was going on downstairs. Christmas lights left forgotten in the night. A spark, a light—the glow that grows, and as it grows, the Christmas lights slowly spread. They continue on, lighting the night with their little sparks. The lights of which creates the birth of helpless sparks and turn them into wild flames—the kind of flames that eat away at whatever crosses its path. No one knew, not yet anyway. Not Demyx, not Riku, not Axel nor Roxas or Sora. No one knew. And by the time that they would, it would be too late…

(little—)

**Kiki: **Yes, that's it. Please don't kill me… (hides) I also leave you guys to imagine what has just happened (laughs). Not that hard to guess.

**Julie:** What?! Kiki! Why did you do that? (pouts) I just hope Riku's okay though...(laughs)

**Kiki: **Oh oh…I have plans for Riku… (grins) BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!11!1one!!11!eleven!!11!

**Preview: **I did it. Yes, that's right. I was the one that did it. I killed Mom and Dad. It was an accident. Everyone told me it wasn't my fault. But I know the truth. I killed them. I couldn't save them. And now…it's you too… I couldn't save you. I let you die. I'm sorry. It's all my fault…I did it. I killed you.

(—face :3)


	15. Fire

**Kiki: **Sorry it's so late!!! (hides) I've been doing other stuff… (laugh)

**Julie:** I'm also very late and been doing other stuff!! (hides behind Kiki)

**Kiki: **(posts without editing it for again after the beta-edit) I hope I took out all the beta notes xD

_Disclaimer, Warnings, Pairings, Sneak peak: _See previous chapters.

(Axel)

**Love Letters  
**By KikiKitsune

'_Chapter 14: Fire'_

(is)

"_Is…is he going to be okay?"_

"_I'm very sorry, but…we're not even quite sure what's wrong with him…"_

"_Axel…"_

"_We'll do the best we can, but I think it's best to leave him alone for now."_

(so)

I was eight years old when Dad got me my very own lighter. It was a simple one with a shiny, silver, metal cover. Dad collected them and barely used them. You could say it was a sort of hobby of his that he liked to do when he had the time. Mom, on the other hand, hated it. She hated that he got me my own lighter too. It was "dangerous," she said, and it was not a toy meant for an eight year old. Mom told me that she knew I wouldn't try to do anything stupid, but she didn't mean it. I _knew _she didn't. Dad knew she didn't. _She _even knew she didn't. Mom was afraid I'd hurt myself on accident, maybe even…on purpose?

Mom—she looked perfectly normal on the outside. But Dad and I knew she was always a little…unstable. She'd never hurt anyone, we knew, especially not her family. But…there were times when Mom would completely flip out. If I went out too long, if she didn't know where I was, if I tried to play in the middle of the street, if I crossed the street without looking left, right, then left again…Mom would freak. I suppose all moms get scared about stuff like that but sometimes, something just didn't seem right. It was like she was overly paranoid and extremely sensitive.

(smexy)

It was the day before I would start the third grade. Mom had caught a "summer cold" earlier that week. She said it was because of the country air that she wasn't use to, which I didn't understand at all. Wasn't country air supposed to be healthier? Anyway, we were visiting my older brother, who lived with a friend of my parents. He was learning some sort of business from their friend there.

Anyway, Mom was afraid that I'd catch her cold, so she told me to play in the front yard (Dad was out shopping that day). She took the time to explain all the rules I already knew about not wandering too far, talking to strangers, etc. And so, I ignored every word she said and went outside.

I remember finding Larxene on her front lawn that day. She was filling an oversized water gun up with the hose. I walked over to her and asked what she planned to do with it.

She smiled back at me with vengeance in her eyes. "I'm going to drown Xigbar in his own game. He thinks just because he's this prissy, little high schooler he can push me around. Well, I'll show him! Me and my new blaster are gonna get him _good._"

I laughed. "Can I play too?"

She picked up her water gun and slung it onto her tiny shoulder. "I only have one of these though."

"It's okay. Maybe I can do something else, like hold him down for you or distract him."

"Or…" her lips curved into a devious smile. "You could set him on fire with that lighter of yours."

Looking back, it terrifies me that I had even considered that option. But of course, it was all just in my head. I was so young back then and had yet to realize Larx's strange, sadistic sense of "humor." Larxene burst out in laughter and said, "Just kidding! Your mom would go crazy. You can use my old water gun. I'll go get it!" I watched her disappear back into her house with the giant water gun still pulled over her little shoulder.

Larx was probably—most definitely—right. Mom would've freaked, especially if she knew that I had taken my lighter outside without her knowing that day. She usually had me keep it on the shelf over the fireplace, and I wasn't to touch it unless I asked her first and told her what I planned to do with it. And then she had to watch me do it. I guess I thought that mom wouldn't mind if she didn't know. I would just hold it for a little while and return it before Mom found out. She was sick in bed after all, and I doubt she would have come downstairs at the chance of infecting her dearest little son.

But…then again, what if she did find out? There was still a slim chance that she would come down to check on me. So, I decided I should return the lighter to its rightful place. I went back inside, and luckily, Mom was still upstairs sleeping. Ah…and then silly, stupid me. When I was _just _about to return the lighter, a thought came into mind.

I often got colds in the wintertime, and when that happened, Mom would make me cocoa and have Dad make a fire in the fireplace. And guess what? I decided to make a fire for Mom, hoping she'd be proud of me for doing something so nice for her. Maybe this would even convince her to let me keep my lighter with me from then on.

"Axel? Where did you go?" I heard Larxene calling from outside. I ran out to meet her, leaving the tiny, growing fire I had made to greet Mom when she woke up. Silly, silly, stupid me. I left the house and ran down the street with Larxene. And all the while, I was smiling. For _hours_, I laughed and played and smiled and joked and felt so _damn, fucking proud _of myself.

I was such an idiot.

(that)

It was late when I returned back to the neighborhood. Xigbar's house was, like, a million blocks away, so we had to walk pretty far for two eight-year olds. Oh, if Mom only knew…she'd go off about kidnappers and pedophiles.

Too bad she was burning to death.

(it's)

_When Roxas woke, he was lying in a bed that was not his. It wasn't Sora's either, so…where was he? And why wasn't his brother with him? Hadn't they fallen asleep together in Sora's room…?_

_No…wait…_

_The blond sat up and observed his surroundings. He was in a small, white room with nothing but a white-sheeted bed, a window, and a small desk beside him. This was…a room in Destiny's hospital._

_That's right…Sora and Roxas had fallen asleep and then…somehow, they woke up to a fire. Had their house burnt down? And…Riku! Yes, that's right. Riku had saved them, hadn't he? But…where was Riku now? And where was Sora? And Axel and Demyx too?_

_He climbed slowly off the bed and started towards the door. It was dark, nighttime, and the hospital had turned off most of its lights. He opened the door just a little and peeked outside. No one in sight. He snuck down the hall and opened up the first door he came by. It was another patient's room._

"_Sora…?" Roxas whispered as he slowly opened the door. It was nearly pitch-black, but a bit of light shone in through the window. With just one look, Roxas knew it wasn't Sora. He stepped deeper into the room, quietly closing the door shut tight behind him. He made soft, small steps towards the bed, and when he reached it, he stopped and listened._

"I don't have a mom anymore either, _or _a dad. They died in a fire when I was still in elementary school."

_Roxas reached out a hand and hesitantly, he removed the blanket from the figure lying under it. It revealed Axel—curled up in a tight ball and heavily sobbing. Roxas could hear the hushed crying that Axel was trying to hold back. He sat down beside the redhead and began stroking Axel's hair. He could do nothing more to comfort him. Axel continued to cry, and like a child, he reached his hand out until he found Roxas's body. He clung to the boy's shirt, not knowing that he was unconsciously afraid that if he were to let go…Roxas would disappear._

_The blond understood. He understood more than he'd have liked to. He gently removed Axel's hand and lowered himself onto the bed. He lied next to the redhead and again, Axel clung to the smaller boy. Roxas wrapped his arms around him as tight as he could._

"_I'm sorry…" Roxas heard Axel choke through heavy sobs._

"_It's okay, it's okay…You didn't do anything wrong." Roxas whispered softly. He held the older boy tight to himself and let him cry. After a while…the blond couldn't help but cry too._

_Axel—he cried for his father, and he cried for his mother. He cried for his brother, and he cried for those that had loved his parents. He cried for all the selfish things he's done and all the things he's regret. He cried because of the hurt, the memories, the guilt…_

_He couldn't save the people he loved most._

(uber)

_When Axel had gotten home that evening, eleven years ago, the house was ablaze lighting the whole block. Terror struck within him. He found his father standing in front of the house, watching the hypnotic flames. Someone had already called for the fire station, but they were too slow for Axel's father. They would be too late. Little Axel watched his father turn around and look him in the eyes. He could see his father force on a smile as he kneeled down and held Axel's tiny shoulders._

"_It's okay," his father told him. "It's my fault." But Axel knew he was lying. His father knew, his mother knew, Axel knew, everyone knew—it was _Axel's_ fault._

_Axel cried and he screamed. "Daddy! Daddy, don't go!" He wanted to run after him, he wanted to stop his father from running into the flames. Even then, Axel knew no one could save his mother now. It was far too late. But…even with this knowledge, he also knew that his father had to try. He loved her, and so did Axel. Axel loved both his parents._

_So then…why? Why didn't Axel run into the fire too? Why didn't he try to save his mother? Why didn't…why couldn't he even _try_ to save either of them…? Especially after being the one that set his own mother on fire…_

(scary,)

**Kiki: **(dramatic gasp) DRAMA! (laugh) I'll try to make the next chapter better. Sorry this one wasn't so good… (sweat drop)

**Julie:** After procrastinating on this for ages, I finally finish!! Yay! Now to go procrastinate on something else...

**Kiki: **Yay for procrastination!

(yo.)

**Preview: **Axel, you are such a freakin' idiot. You don't think you need this, but you _do. _You need help, you need to do something about this _now. _We're friends, aren't we? So, please…let me help you. Stop holding it all in…you've kept it to yourself for eleven years. Isn't it about time you let it all out?


	16. Don't Forget

**Kiki: **(bows deeply) I actually re-sent this to Julie a few weeks ago for another edit, but she hasn't answered yet…so I'm going ahead and posting this. I'll repost her edited version later when she has time to beta it. Sorry to all of you and Julie who have been patiently waiting for this story to update.

**Julie:** Erm, hi!

_Disclaimer, Warnings, Pairings, Sneak peak: _See previous chapters.

(meow)

**Love Letters **By KikiKitsune

'_Chapter 15: Don't Forget'_

(meow)

In a dark corner of the room, a figure sat and stared off into nothingness. His usual vibrant hair was now a dull shade of crimson, and his bright eyes faded into the shadows. Quietly hugging his knees and digging his face into his chest, he did what he could to drown out the voices. Yes, there were voices next door, discussing terms of which he wished not to hear of. However, the voices that he wanted to drown out were far louder, closer, and greater. He could not silence them.

The noisy streets, the continuous sirens, the screams, the worried chatter, the angry commands—they all echoed in his head as a haunting memory. Every time he would close his eyes, there would be that image of his father's figure slowly making its way towards the flames. And each time the image played, he would imagine what might have happened if he had only reached his hand out. If he had called for his father to stop, would it have made a difference? Would he be able to save at least one life?

No. His father would have gone anyway, wouldn't he?

The guilt, the feelings of regret, raked at his heart. Such a foolish mistake could not be so easily forgotten. The only way to cope was to never forget. For his mistake, he was to forever live with his sins.

Never forget, Axel. Never forget the ones you love so dearly.

(meow)

There was a knock on the door, but Axel paid no attention to it. In the next moment, the door opened and Larxene stepped in. Her eyes found him huddled in the corner as she made her way towards him. Taking unusual extra care, she slowly lowered herself to him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. She offered one of her rare, gentle smiles.

"Axel, it's time to go," she whispered.

He recognized her hand and it bothered him, but he did nothing to push it away. "…I don't want to," he mumbled as he buried his face further into his knees. At this, Larxene frowned. Axel was acting like such a child. Honestly…!

"Demyx told me what happened…" she announced. She saw the redhead twitch a bit and knew that he was listening, so she continued on. "He told me what you did when you saw the fire." Her hand slid back down to her side and she made herself comfortable on the floor next to him. This was going to take a while to convince him… For a moment, she thought she heard him mumble something. "What was that?"

"I…" he began, lifting his face up a bit. "…it's nothing."

The blonde rolled her eyes. _'Nothing, my __**ass**__.' _"Oh, really now? Then can you tell me what happened, Axel dearest?" She pressed her face closer to his, wondering when he was finally going to admit to his lies. "Tell me what happened. You went out with Riku and Demyx to the store, right? What happened after that? What happened when you got back to Roxas's house, huh? Did you see the fire, hmm?"

Axel remained silent. He knew Larxene. They had been friends since they were children. They even tried dating for a while, but they found themselves better off as friends. But they were more than friends; they were best friends, nearly family. So there would be no way for Axel to lie himself out of this. He knew that Larxene had already figured everything out.

"Did you get in there and save Roxas? Did you even _try,_ Axel? Or did Riku do it? Riku had to do it, right? Because _you_ couldn't. Because when you saw it, you froze. And do you know why you froze, Axel?" he could hear the irritation in her voice. He felt her fingers slip under his chin and they shook as she struggled to keep her composure. She lifted his chin up to have his eyes meet her. "We've waited for over ten years, Axel, and things haven't gotten the least bit better. You act like everything's okay, but it's not. It's just _not_, okay? So stop pretending that it is. Pretending that it didn't happen won't erase the past or—" The words got caught in her throat, but she forced them out. "Or…or bring your parents back."

Axel stared at her for a while. The strong Larxene had tears in her eyes. Why…? Why did she always have to try so hard for him? After ten years, wasn't it obvious how hopeless he was? Why did she have to be so stupid? It made him feel horrible. He couldn't do anything, even for his friends.

"I know," Axel said firmly. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into him. He felt her trembling, trying her best to fight back the tears as she always did. "But…" he wrapped his arms around her, and she responded with comfort. Only for Axel would she act this way, only for him would she show this gentle side of her.

"It's okay, Axel," she whispered. "I know. You don't have to say anymore…"

"What am I suppose to do, Larx…? What the hell am I suppose to do …?" he gripped tighter onto her.

She fought back tears. It wasn't just Axel. They both had been denying the truth. They didn't want to admit it, but this was how it was. Axel needed help. The people around him needed help. They couldn't do it, not by themselves. By themselves, they would just shove it away in a dark corner and try their best to forget about it. They would deny the dark creature's existence. But now they would fix everything—together.

"We have to go see Xemnas…"

She heard Axel scowl at her sudden suggestion. "No. That nut job tried years ago, and he only made it worse. There's no way in hell that I'm gonna go back to see that crazy son of a—"

(meow)

"This is why I can't leave Sora alone with you! Look at him! Just imagine what could have happened if Riku wasn't there to save him!" she suddenly shouted.

"I was at work. How was I supposed to know?" he shot back.

"Work? _Work? _That's your damn excuse?" Her voice heightened.

"It's not an excuse. How else am I supposed to make a living? I go to work to make money so that I can provide for our son, you know," he continued.

"Well, you can't provide for him if he's _dead!_" she cried.

"What am I supposed to do? Quit my job?"

"Your job—that's all you ever care about. You're always at work! There's not one day where you just spend it with your family, and yet you think you have time to raise your _children? _Don't you think at all? How can you just leave them home alone every day?" Her voice began to crack as she went on.

"Damn it, woman! They're fifteen years old. They're old enough to take care of themselves."

"Yeah, I can really tell," sarcasm spilled all over her tongue.

He tried to be reasonable. "It was an accident. Don't you understand that? Accidents happen."

She didn't listen. "No, I don't understand. How do you expect me to understand an accident that nearly killed our _son? _Don't _you _understand? He could have died! My only baby boy could have _died _because _work _was more important to you!"

Roxas held his brother's hand tightly. They were in a room in the hospital, and their parents decided to argue right outside the room. Talk about embarrassing. Thank the gods that Sora was asleep and didn't have to hear all this.

'_But why…?'_ he wondered. Here Roxas was protecting his brother…but why wasn't anyone there to protect our little Roxas too?

(meow)

He called once, twice, maybe three, five, ten, or even twenty times. There was never an answer. The phone continued to ring and ring until it forwarded him to the voicemail. Why, Roxas, wondered, why wasn't Axel picking up his phone? Now, more than anything, he needed a friend. He really needed…he really wanted someone to talk to.

(meow)

About two weeks after the fire, Roxas and Sora were finally discharged from the hospital. They had minor injuries, especially compared to Riku whose back and arms were burnt while rescuing the brothers. He would have to stay in the hospital for a while longer. That was quite unfortunate, however, as Sora's mother had decided to finally take Sora away. Would he ever be able to see Riku again?

It wasn't safe to be with his father anymore, his mother had said. Not only that, but they had nowhere to go. All they had left was a burnt down house. So Sora's mother decided that she would take him away, away to live with her in Traverse Town and his uncle's family.

Roxas lied down on the small couch that was placed in his father's friend's apartment. It was temporary, his father had said, until he could figure out what to do. They were left with nearly nothing, yet his father still went to work each and everyday. It was probably all his father really had left, Roxas believed, besides Roxas himself. For the blond too, all he had left was his father, it seemed. Sora was gone now and there seemed to be no way to contact Axel.

He wasn't angry, not at his father and not at Sora's mother. He didn't blame Axel or anyone. Roxas was just sad. He was alone.

But should it be said that it's fortunate? Out of all the ashes, he was able to dig up his mother's locket, though it was brown from the fire now and the photographs were reduced to dust. It must be a sign, right? His mother's locket was the only thing left he could find after all this chaos. It was something that gave him hope. She was out there, watching him, right? He still had his mother, he told himself. Even if she could not hold him, could not touch him, kiss him, tell him everything was going to be okay—he still had her there in his heart.

(meow)

Back in Twilight Town, Axel sat quietly in a white room. In his hands, he held his cellphone and flipped through the digital pictures. There were pictures of his friends—Larxene, Demyx, Marluxia, Zexion, and the rest of gang. There were pictures he took of himself when he was bored and of the cute stray dog he met down the street. And then, of course, he had taken pictures of Roxas too.

Actually, Roxas had a special little folder that Axel had placed all his pictures in. There were pictures of when they played games together and when they ate together. There were pictures that Axel secretly took when Roxas was asleep or not paying attention, and even pictures of when Roxas was angry and about to rip Axel's limbs off.

He couldn't help but think that they were good friends. Really good friends, maybe, hopefully… Even so, Axel felt like he wasn't. He hoped that they could be friends, but…how could he call himself a friend when he couldn't even protect him? You're supposed to protect friends, right? So…until Axel was ready, until he could change himself…he decided that he couldn't talk to Roxas anymore. He just had no right to.

Still, once couldn't hurt, right? It had been two weeks, and he hadn't even told Roxas yet. He probably should have told him sooner, but it was a bit difficult, trying to get his mind straight and all. He knew now, though. Axel knew what he had to do, so hopefully, Roxas would understand. Would he still be there when Axel got all better too…?

The redhead played with the buttons—typing, deleting, pausing, thinking, retyping, deleting a bit more, and retyping again.

"Axel?" a large man with dark, braided hair stepped into the room. He opened the door and motioned for the redhead to enter. "Dr. Xemnas is ready to see you now."

The redhead stood up and nodded, placing the phone in his pocket. As he walked in, the message he had sent was still deeply pressed into mind. Was he regretting it already? Axel couldn't help but laugh. How pathetic was he, worrying about a little blond boy that he had met only months before. It was so silly, so useless. His laugh was bitter and cold.

It was so pathetic, but Axel could feel it deep within his skin. He missed Roxas.

'_Roxas, I'm sorry I didn't call,' _he wrote._ 'I just have some things to take care of. Until then, I don't think I can face to you. Not yet. Please try to understand. I'll come back soon so…don't forget about me, okay? –Axel'_

(meow)

**Kiki: **(flails) OAO'!


	17. Author's Note

**Kiki: **(bows) I sincerely apologize. I thought that I would be able to finish this story, but it seems like I can't. I love Kingdom Hearts, I really do, but I have found something else that I enjoy a lot more now. I'm sorry if there are still those who have been waiting patiently for this story. I've taken a long time to say this, and many of my readers have gotten tired of waiting for me to update. For those of you who have still been silently waiting for me, I apologize. I know what it feels like to have a story you've been waiting for end up unfinished like this…but now I understand how those authors have felt too. Forcing yourself to write a story you're no longer interested in…it really feels a lot more like work than just something you use to do for fun. Again, I'm really sorry, but I will no longer be updating _Love Letters._ Thank you to those who have supported this story, and I'm sorry if I've disappointed you.


End file.
